Climate Change Denial Research Articles

Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition

Updating one’s beliefs about the causes and effects of climate change is crucial for altering attitudes and behaviours. Importantly, metacognitive abilities - insight into the (in)correctness of one’s beliefs- play a key role in the formation of polarised beliefs. We here aimed at investigated the role of metacognition in changing beliefs about climate change. To that end, we focused on the role of domain-general and domain-specific metacognition in updating prior beliefs about climate change across the spectrum of climate change scepticism. We also considered the role of how climate science is communicated in the form of textual or visuo-textual presentations. We asked two large US samples to perform a perceptual decision-making task (to assess domain-general decision-making and metacognitive abilities. They next performed a belief-updating task, where they were exposed to good and bad news about climate change and we asked them about their beliefs and their updating. Lastly, they completed a series of questionnaires probing their attitudes to climate change. We show that climate change scepticism is associated with differences in domain-general as well as domain-specific metacognitive abilities. Moreover, domain-general metacognitive sensitivity influenced belief updating in an asymmetric way: lower domain-general metacognition decreased the updating of prior beliefs, especially in the face of negative evidence. Our findings highlight the role of metacognitive failures in revising erroneous beliefs about climate change and point to their adverse social effects.

Understanding Perceptions of Climate Change Scenario Planning in United States Public Land Management Agencies

As climate change increasingly challenges the capacity of traditional decision-making modalities to contend with mounting complexities and uncertainties, natural resource management agencies have increasingly turned to nontraditional modes of planning and decision-making such as ‘futuring. Futuring methods, such as scenarios, have been increasingly utilized around the world. In the US, however, there has been a limited uptake of these tools across public land management and a preference for more traditional forecasting tools. This article explores some possibilities about why this is the case and aims to identify potential pathways forward. Drawing on 28 exploratory interviews with public land managers from the US Forest Service and others, a variety of benefits to scenario use were identified including: (1) mitigation of climate skepticism; (2) more robust capture of uncertainty, complexity, and the potential for surprise posed by climate change; and (3) potential for social learning. Barriers identified included: (1) difficulty in understanding the process, (2) bureaucratic concerns about time, staffing, and funding, and (3) a lack of an agency ‘champion’. However, concerns about the epistemological and institutional fit of nontraditional planning and decision-making tools like scenario processes predominated across the interviews. Interviewees also identified what we call ‘streamlining’ and ‘mainstreaming’ as potential pathways to integrate scenario processes into planning and decision-making.

Using virtual simulations of future extreme weather events to communicate climate change risk

Virtual simulations of future extreme weather events may prove an effective vehicle for climate change risk communication. To test this, we created a 3D virtual simulation of a future tropical cyclone amplified by climate change. Using an experimental framework, we isolated the effect of our simulation on risk perceptions and individual mitigation behaviour for a representative sample (n = 1507) of the general public in Hong Kong. We find that exposure to our simulation is systematically associated with a relatively small decrease in risk perceptions and individual mitigation behaviour. We suggest that this is likely due to climate change scepticism, motivation crowding, geographical and temporal distance, high-risk thresholds, feelings of hopelessness, and concerns surrounding the immersiveness of the virtual simulation.

Editorial

The physicist and science communicator Jorge Wagensberg used to say that the creativity of the human mind requires three things: to have a good idea, to know that the idea is good, and to convince others of it. But to have a good idea, we first need to look curiously at the world around us and ask the right questions. These questions may need to change as knowledge grows and events unfold. Years ago, when we talked about the climate emergency, the main question was what we needed to do to prevent climate change from crossing critical thresholds. The problem is that we did not take this question very seriously, or perhaps we did not like the answer enough, and so the main question we are facing now is how to ensure that the impact of climate change on our societies is minimised, and how to adapt to this new scenario which, if nothing changes, will only get worse in the coming years. What is both comical and worrying is that just as the consequences of climate change are becoming impossible to deny or ignore, the number and aggressiveness of climate deniers and delayers on the Internet is growing in parallel.
 In this scenario, it is more important than ever to reflect on the models of science communication that we are currently implementing, as Professor Hans Peter Peters does in the article that opens this new volume of Metode Science Studies Journal. This volume contains four monographs that address necessary questions and issues, such as the opportunities, challenges and threats facing drylands today, the origins of human societies, the One Health framework and how it can help us, and whether there is anything natural about the concept of beauty. Four monographs born of curiosity about the world around us, our own species, and the questions we ask ourselves in the face of new challenges that make us think and reflect. In short, they are the genesis of new ideas, always based on science.

Comfort in chaos: A sensory account of climate change denial

This paper argues that sensory practices that insulate individual bodies from the effects of climate disruption may enable and perpetuate a distinct form of climate change denial. Existing scholarship has established the ways in which climate-modifying technologies, such as air conditioning, reconfigure socio-ecological relationships through sensory norms. This paper extends this analysis by relating these sensory norms to contemporary discourses on climate denial. Drawing on a heatwave case study in Western Sydney, Australia, the paper explores how practices of thermal comfort for particular, often privileged, bodies may be understood as sensory enablers of climate change denial. This work encourages theoretical movement beyond the scientific and political disembodiment that often characterises contemporary climate change denial discourse, and urges greater attention to the sensory drivers of climate-related behaviours, experiences, and perceptions. This sensory approach may allow theoretical and strategic engagement with otherwise hidden social barriers to sustainable climate interventions and action.

Herausforderung Klimawandel: Transfer von Wissenschaft in die Gesellschaft durch einen Online-Workshop

BackgroundAccording to the World Health Organisation, climate change poses the greatest health threat to humanity. At the same time, an environmentally friendly lifestyle has a positive impact on our health, such as a plant-based diet. In order to counter climate change, society needs to be informed about climate-friendly and health-promoting measures. Therefore, an online workshop was initiated at the Medical Faculty of Ulm. In an accompanying study, it was determined whether this leads to changes in environmental knowledge and awareness among the participants. MethodsThe online workshop consisted of four 2-hour sessions. Scientific basics on climate change and possible solutions were discussed. Other focuses were on health and the health system as well as environmental psychology and climate change denial. Participants could take part in an anonymous and voluntary online survey before (pretest) and after (posttest) the workshop. Results86 participants took part in the workshop, of whom 24 attended all appointments and completed both surveys. While hardly any changes were observed in the subsection of environmental emotion, perception and behavior, there was a significant increase in environmental knowledge in the posttest. The workshop was evaluated very positively. Furthermore, many participants were motivated to make a personal contribution to climate protection after the workshop. ConclusionThe workshop serves as a good example of how medical scientific findings can be shared at a societal level. The participants already showed a high level of environmental awareness in the pretest, which is why the question remains open as to how people can be sensitized to the (health) threats posed by climate change who do not proactively sign up for such an offer themselves.

Comparative analysis of Australian climate change and COVID-19 vaccine audience segments shows climate skeptics can be vaccine enthusiasts

Denialism and the spreading of misinformation have occurred regarding both climate change and COVID-19, delaying uptake of urgent actions. Audience segmentation analysis identifies audience subgroups likely to have similar responses to messaging, and is a valuable tool for effective campaigns encouraging critical behaviors in both contexts. This study compared audience segmentations based on a representative sample of 1054 Australians. One segmentation was based on the ‘Global Warming’s Six Americas’ online SASSY tool. The second segmentation applied the Theory of Planned Behavior and found five distinct COVID-19 vaccine segments. Both studies showed those most concerned and those most skeptical in the climate change segmentation tended to be in more enthusiastic COVID-19 vaccine segments, while those in the center on climate change were more skeptical on COVID-19 vaccines. Differences identified relating to age, gender, and political views may be explained by a combination of the specific nature and histories of these issues. These findings have implications for effective communication on science and health issues across diverse disciplines.

White Identity and Climate Change Skepticism: Assessing the Mediating Roles of Social Dominance Orientation and Conspiratorial Ideation

Prior research has found that white people are more likely to be climate change skeptics. In much of this prior work, white identity is treated as a categorical label, limiting the theoretical and empirical understanding of this relationship. Drawing on survey data from a US national sample of 933 white young adults, we theorize that white identity is a developmental process where people explore the meanings of their racial identity and commit to a white identity marked by enhanced levels of social dominance orientation and conspiratorial ideation, two social-psychological constructs consistently associated with climate change skepticism. Using regression analyses, we tested a mediation model that a strong white identity would increase climate change skepticism by enhancing one’s social dominance orientation and conspiratorial ideation. We found partial support for our model. While a strong white identity was positively associated with social dominance orientation and conspiratorial ideation, only social dominance orientation increased climate change skepticism. Conspiratorial ideation reduced climate change skepticism. We discuss the implications of our findings for the climate change literature as well as how our findings can inform policies that could reduce climate change skepticism among white people.

Analysis of climate change disinformation across types, agents and media platforms

Disinformation represents one of the major obstacles to meaningful actions against climate change skepticism. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate climate change disinformation across types, agents, and media platforms as reported in selected online newspapers. A total of 124 news articles gathered from Malaysia's The Star and New Straits Times were subjected to content analysis. The articles were collected from the newspapers’ digital archives between August 2015 and October 2021 using “climate change” and “disinformation” as keywords. Subsequently, data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and descriptive statistics. The study found that disinformation about climate change is more likely to be spread by politicians, organizations, and anonymous agencies compared with business tycoons, celebrities, and academics. Also, misleading and fabricated contents represent the most common types of disinformation spread by politicians. The findings suggest that politics and social media represent the most critical factors influencing climate change. The study, therefore, calls for the joint efforts of activists, media practitioners, and governments to mitigate disinformation about climate change.

Media, interpersonal communication, personal characteristics and online participation for climate change: structural equation modelling to determine digital discourse in Pakistan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to fill the gap by researching the direct effects of media and personal characteristics on online participation in climate change, indirect effects when mediated by interpersonal communication and personal characteristics as predictors of media communications as sources of information about climate change. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire is distributed to collect data about the uses of communication sources and online responses toward climate change by using a quota sampling technique. The structural equation modeling by using Smart PLS 4 is used to explore the effects’ size. Findings Small levels of direct and indirect effects are found. Direct effects are found in online newspapers, YouTube, television news, personal relevance toward climate change and political interest in online participation in climate change. Indirect effects are found of WhatsApp on online climate participation through interpersonal communication. Personal relevance toward climate change has motivated respondents to take information about climate change from Facebook. Climate skepticism is found among respondents who have received information from television news/talk shows, printed newspapers and WhatsApp. Practical implications University teachers in Pakistan will have to work on educational strategies to increase the knowledge of university students about energy generation through carbon and renewable energy sources. Originality/value The results of this study highlight the communicative-cultural dimensions of online discourse about climate change in the context of the less-researched country of Pakistan. This is the first study of researchers’ knowledge that comprehensively defines the digital media ecology in the context of climate change considering Pakistan.

Remembering the Holocaust in the Anthropocene

Abstract: This paper explores how the "environmental turn" for the last 25 years has been shaping remembrance of the destruction of Europe's Jewish populations. I argue that climate change is not just one more catastrophe to pass into the broad analogical field of the Holocaust. In fact, international Holocaust consciousness and understandings of what we now call the Anthropocene have long been intertwined and mutually constitutive. The paper starts in the 1990s with acclaimed writers Anne Michaels and W.G. Sebald, who sought to recast the Holocaust's significance to modernity against a long backdrop of geologic time. Their memorial fiction, which grounds the history of the Holocaust in the eroding landscapes of Europe, reflects a growing and urgent global concern for the vulnerability of the environment and a sense of man's responsibility for preserving human and biological life. The paper then moves through more contemporary examples of the sublimation of Holocaust memory in discourse about global warming—evident in terms like "climate change denial" and calls to "bear witness" to mass extinction events. For better or worse, journalists and scholars who write about environmental activism frequently call on memory of World War II and genocide in order to redefine what constitutes "grievable life." Example authors include historian Timothy Snyder, who has predicted that climate change may lead to new genocidal wars over Lebensraum ; scientist James Lovelock, who has urged nation states to consider how to limit the coming influx of climate refugees; theorist Bruno Latour, who has argued, via Nazi philosopher Carl Schmitt, that we must "name our enemies" in the new climate wars; and essayist Ari Brostoff who has attempted to think climate catastrophe through Walter Benjamin's meditations on the angel of history. The implicit question in all of their work is this: What histories and philosophical traditions can help us redefine humanity's entangled relationship to nature in order to take political responsibility for saving life on Earth? In other words, the Anthropocene requires "a usable past"—but what will that usable past be?

How can we confront climate denial? Critical literacy+, eco‐civic practices, and inquiry

AbstractWhile scientific consensus about human‐caused climate change has been clear for decades, denial of this science and denial about the need for timely, responsive action continue in the United States and around the world. The Climate Denial Inquiry Model can help educators grapple with the complex components of this denial with critical literacy+ and eco‐civic practices of deliberation, reflexivity, and counter‐narration to help investigate climate denial texts, stories, contexts, and philosophies. This charts a pathway toward ecojustice‐centered stories‐To‐live by.

Guiding Environmental Messaging by Quantifying the Effect of Extreme Weather Events on Public Discourse Surrounding Anthropogenic Climate Change

Abstract Anthropogenic climate change promises to bring existential changes to human society in the coming years. One such example of these changes is the increasing frequency of extreme weather capable of causing significant damage. Despite this, many Americans are acutely unaware of the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events, perhaps because of a lack of direct messaging about it. This study analyzed the effects of natural disasters on climate change discussion sentiment and volume through news media and Twitter posts. The study hypothesized that specific major natural disasters would lead to increases in the number of climate change–related Twitter posts and news articles, as well as more positive climate sentiment, indicative of belief in the severity of global warming. Through an analysis of almost 35 million climate change–related tweets and 300 000+ news articles, along with the collection of over 130 million natural-disaster-related tweets published in the United States between 2010 and 2020, media volume rose an average of 10% around specific extreme weather events, corroborating the first aspect of the hypothesis. The ratio of positive to negative sentiment tweets, however, decreased, suggesting the tendency of extreme weather to elicit more response from climate change deniers than supporters. Thus, increased climate change discussion around major natural disasters represents a missed opportunity for continuing to drive forward climate change messaging and awareness in the United States. Significance Statement Extreme weather events threaten Americans’ lives and livelihoods. In turn, anthropogenic climate change has been shown to amplify the frequency and intensity of these weather events, creating uncertainty for communities across the country. Despite the proven connection between climate change and natural disasters, public messaging often fails to leverage anxiety over extreme weather to drive support for environmental action. This study sought to quantify the media relationships of climate change and natural disasters to inform awareness strategies.

Climate Change Denial and Corporate Environmental Responsibility

Climate Change Denial and Corporate Environmental Responsibility

Media Bias and Climate Change Skepticism

Media Bias and Climate Change Skepticism

Rational Dissent on Climate Change in Calgary: responding to Haney (2022)

Social scientists have been active participants in assessing and debunking climate change denialism. This paper applies the Scientific Method (Armstrong & Green 2022) to deconstruct the work of Haney (2022) who theorized that the massive 2013 flood in the City of Calgary, home to many oil sands and oil/gas industry head offices, would be understood by those well-to-do energy industry executives, living alongside the rivers, as evidence of climate change. Haney’s analysis of interviews with 40 such individuals assumes that it is a case of confirmation bias related to their livelihood or fear of change that these people continue to hold dissenting views on climate. This paper will expose the bias, flaws, and lack of research integrity in Haney (2022). Stirling, the author of this paper, acknowledges a direct connection to Friends of Science Society, referred to by Haney, though this is an independent work of hersstudy aimed to investigate the predictive factors of stress on parents of primary school students during the Covid-19 pandemic in Oman.A total of 384 parents of primary school children participated in this study. By using survey data technique and was analyzed by using quantitative research method. The results showed that there is a significant difference in the level of stress between employed and unemployed parents. In addition, the study found a significant difference in the stress level between parents with different educational levels. Based on the findings and analysis of the data obtained, COVID-19 has been determined to influence students’ learning negatively. It has created an unpleasant atmosphere for them in this area. It has been discovered that children and their parents are confronted with various problems and hurdles, in addition to a poor education level and parental stress as a result of a lack of resources at home.The study recommends that the government and educational institutions provide support to parents, especially those who are unemployed or have low levels of education

The impacts of different Al(NO3)3 concentrations on the mitotic index of Allium sativum

Acid deposition, produced when NOx and SO2 emissions react with water to produce HNO3 and H2SO4, is regarded as a significant threat to biodiversity and agriculture. Soil pH conditioners have been developed to counteract this phenomenon; however, they sometimes fail to reverse nutrient imbalances caused by acid deposition. One of the problematic nutrient imbalances is the formation of aluminum nitrate, which dissociates to produce toxic Al3+ ions. In Basque country (Spain), a recent surge in metallurgical activities and the popularization of climate change denial threatens a drastic rise in NOx emissions. We explored whether returning to peak emissions of NOx, such as those in 1990, will increase Al(NO3)3 concentrations to a level where they significantly lower the mitotic index (the ratio of cells undergoing mitosis in a specific population of cells) of one of the most culturally significant vegetables of the region, Allium sativum. We grew cloves of A. sativum at different concentrations of Al(NO3)3. We processed tips of these cloves and placed them under a microscope to calculate their mitotic index. We hypothesized that a larger concentration of Al(NO3)3 would lower the mitotic index of A. sativum, since Al(NO3)3 dissociates in water to produce Al3+ ions, which are highly toxic as they inhibit cell division and elongation. Our results showed a negative exponential correlation between Al(NO33 and the mitotic index of A. sativum, as the higher the Al(NO3)3 concentration, the lower the mitotic index.

Horticultural Farmers’ Perceived Risk of Climate Change in Adriatic Croatia

Parts of the Mediterranean, including Adriatic Croatia, are becoming more exposed to climate risk. Changes in precipitation, temperature, and the occurrence of extreme weather events are increasingly significant. The paper aimed to identify the level of the perceived risk of climate change on the sample of horticultural farmers in the Adriatic Croatia. Furthermore, the paper aimed to research which risk management strategies are preferable to producers to reduce the impact of climate change on agricultural production. The survey was conducted among horticultural farmers in Adriatic Croatia (Mediterranean). The method used in the paper was cluster analysis, and the farmers’ readiness to apply climate risk management strategies was additionally examined using ANOVA and the HSD Tukey test. The main results showed that on the sample of 275 horticultural farmers, 57.81% were climate sceptics. In contrast, the climate aware farmers were more ready to apply measures to adapt production strategies and risk reduction measures in response to a changing climate. Finally, the limitations of the research and future research are discussed in this paper.

Believing in or Denying Climate Change for Questionable Reasons: Generic Conspiracist Beliefs, Personality, and Climate Change Perceptions of Romanian University Students.

People's perceptions of climate change represent a growing concern, especially when these perceptions entail the denial of climate change. Past studies have highlighted the detrimental role of conspiracist beliefs concerning climate change regarding people's perceptions on this matter. However, the effects of generic conspiracy beliefs and the different types of beliefs determining skepticism about climate change, as well as that of an individual's personality, are still an open area of inquiry. Our cross-sectional study (N = 842) explored the relationships between the degree to which people hold different generic conspiracy beliefs, their personality characteristics (as defined within the Big Five taxonomy), and climate change beliefs (i.e., in its occurrence and anthropogenic causation). Results indicated common predictors of these dimensions of climate change beliefs, specifically three of the five types of generic conspiracy beliefs, extraversion, agreeability, and intellect/imagination as personality factors. While conspiracy beliefs related to personal well-being emerged as related to climate change skepticism, those in government malfeasance and information control were found to be associated with more acceptance of climate change and its anthropogenic causation. These findings reveal a mixed pattern of relationships between different conspiracist beliefs and climate change perceptions and suggest the complex psychological and ideological underpinnings of the attitudes towards climate change.

From Non‐Believer to Believer: What Leads People to Change Their Climate Views

Studies have highlighted the political, economic, and psychological factors in the debate over anthropogenic climate change—a hegemony approach—but have rarely focused on the stories and possibilities of people's transitions from climate change non‐believer to climate change believer. Based on publicly accessible narratives, this study examines the stories of those who have switched from non‐believer to believer—a narrative approach—and the dilemmas involved in those switches. Our investigation illuminates that a transition to climate change believer is a cultural and moral matter based on changing social relations of knowledge and what people regard as ignorable. We find that narratives of transition commonly describe interrelated shifts in three social relational factors: the narrator's notions of self, material reality, and justice. We term this contextualized transformative experience a relational rupture. Our narrative approach thus contextualizes climate change denialism within a person's web of social relations, not the hegemony of climate change communication alone. Moreover, we suggest that, since public debate and polarization on scientific topics such as climate change, vaccination, and COVID‐19 are socially situated, they may potentially be socially bridged.