Framing Climate Change Research Articles

Taking climate change here and now – mitigating ideological polarization with psychological distance

Abstract Construal level theory of psychological distance suggests that people are likely to pay more attention to contextual cues when appraising proximal, rather than distant stimuli. We tested the theory in the climate change context by examining if framing climate change impacts in a psychologically close way may motivate the American public to support climate-mitigating policies and enact climate-mitigating actions, accounting for their political ideology, cultural worldview, and environmental value. Results of an experimental survey based on a large adult sample (N = 1,086) supported some of our hypotheses. Ideological polarization in climate change perception was reduced when climate change impact was portrayed as influencing a spatially close and familiar exemplar, as compared to a spatially distant and novel exemplar. However, cultural worldview and environmental value had consistent influence on policy support and environmental action, regardless of message framing.

The usability of climate information in sub-national planning in India, Kenya and Uganda: the role of social learning and intermediary organisations

Research on using climate information has often focused on the interaction between users and producers and the technical fit of information for real decision-making. However, due to resource and capacity constraints within both user and producer communities, this approach will not always be feasible or indeed necessary depending on the decisions at hand. These contexts have been relatively under-explored by scholars, and this paper provides an original empirical contribution using three case studies of sub-national governments in India, Kenya and Uganda. In the paper, we analyse how social learning supports changing the usability of climate information and the role of intermediary organisations in these processes. Firstly, the paper shows that intermediaries often choose to build the commitment to project aims rather than using climate information as an entry point to working on climate change, and this allows them to instigate challenging learning processes. Secondly, there are barriers to iterative processes and critical reflection with government stakeholders but these processes can gain traction when built into institutional practices such as formal M&E processes. Lastly, social learning can broaden the framing of climate change from a single sector issue to a multi-sectoral one. We conclude by arguing that bringing together scholarship on social learning with that on the usability of climate information can deepen understanding of the dynamic context in which the information becomes usable. The evidence from the case studies shows that learning processes can alter this context across scales.

Would it be better to not talk about climate change? The impact of climate change and air pollution frames on support for regulating power plant emissions

This study examined how utilizing different frames to contextualize negative impacts of power plant emissions influenced belief in those impacts and support for policies to regulate emissions. Using a U.S. national YouGov sample (n = 1000), we examined how discussing emissions in terms of climate change or air pollution, and in terms of health or environmental impacts, influenced individuals with different partisan affiliations. The analysis utilized a moderated-mediation model, with belief in negative impacts of power plant emissions as the mediator, support for government action as the dependent variable, and political party as a moderator of the link from the message frame to belief. This analysis revealed that using a climate change frame relative to an air pollution frame lowered policy support both directly and indirectly via belief in negative impacts, with the strongest indirect effect observed for Republicans. There were no effects of discussing environmental versus health impacts. The results suggest that communicators may be more successful in increasing support for mitigating carbon pollution from power plants by focusing on non-climate change oriented risks that the pollution poses, rather than linking the pollution to climate change.

Klimaresiliens:

This article addresses resilience in relation to climate change. Currently, our communities are not resilient to climate changes due to a strikingly limited political and scientific framing of climate change as solely a problem of emissions and individual behaviour. Owing to vulgarized interpretations of individual incentives for climate action, contextual barriers to action and the efficiency of individual climate action, this causes an action deficit on both collective and individual levels. We argue that a paradigm shift is needed in order to engage with more adequate academic analysis and efficient policies. This new paradigm should focus on the capacities of societal institutions, which reflect precisely the level of climate resilience in a society. Resilience is not about societal and political immovability when faced with crisis of the dimensions of the climate crisis. It is about changing our society and politics and building institutions that enable us to properly respond to crisis.

Observers, victims or part of the problem? Exploring affective images of climate change obtained by word associations / ¿Observadores, víctimas o parte del problema? Explorando las imágenes afectivas del cambio climático obtenidas mediante asociaciones de palabras

How do Spaniards frame climate change? Is it something negative and depressing? Is it an environmental question or a human issue? What is their perceived role? Are they mere observers, victims or part of the problem? To explore these issues, in a series of opinion polls prepared in Spain in 2008, 2010 and 2012, the interviewed persons were asked, ‘Which is the first thought or image that comes to your mind whenever you hear talk of climate change?’ A large majority of the registered associations mention adverse effects or contain negative appraisals. The preponderance of the associations related to the effects of climate change over those that refer to its causes or solutions indicate that the respondents see themselves more as affected by the consequences than as causal agents or actors capable of providing proper answers. Clear similarities between this social framing and the media framing have been found.

Visualizing the Paris Climate Talks on Twitter: Media and Climate Stakeholder Visual Social Media During COP21

In 2015, meeting in Paris for the Conference of the Parties (COP21), representatives of 195 nations set an ambitious goal to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by mid-century. This research uses the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which took place in Paris during 30 November to 11 December 2015, as a case study of Twitter coverage of the talks by mainstream and alternative media outlets and other climate stakeholders, including activists and fossil fuel industry groups. It compares the British Guardian with other media and climate stakeholders’ visual framing of climate change on Twitter during COP21, because the publication had launched an advocacy campaign in March 2015 promoting fossil fuel divestment in the lead-up to COP21. Findings show that individual activists and movement organizations functioned similarly in climate change visual framing in Twitter posts, as did individual and organizational multinational representatives and scientific experts. The news media categories varied by type of news organization. The major outliers were the fossil fuel industry and trade association accounts. Industry stakeholders largely focused on former US President Barack Obama’s climate policy, promoting the perception of a lack of domestic support for his climate policies in their visual Twitter postings.

Decolonizing ecological research

Discrepancies in the distribution of global ecological research have been identified at several levels in recent years. A striking one is the under-representation of North Africa and the Middle East in the field of ecological studies, which has not yet led to an in depth consideration of its causes. I provide an illustration of this uneven research pattern and draw parallels never highlighted before between this scientific gap and the environmental history of North Africa and the Middle East in the twentieth century. This research bias should indeed be considered from a novel perspective leaning on environmental history studies. I identify colonial narratives of environmental destruction regarding North Africa and the Middle East, that were the dominant discourse when ecology was developing as a scientific discipline, as the early driver of the scientific disinterest in the environment of these regions. In particular, I argue that these past colonial narratives may still be latent in the lack of scientific consideration of the regions as sites of ecological research interest. The connections made in this essay give an illustration of how society and science may encounter and influence each other. It is further important that contemporary scientists in the field of ecology become aware of the ideological foundations of their discipline in order to reflect on how they could contribute to reverse the described research bias. I conclude the essay by emphasizing on the relevance of ecological research in North Africa and the Middle East in the frame of climate change and current scientific efforts deployed to halt environmental destruction.

Fighting carbon dioxide or fighting humans?: The ideological fault lines underlying two climate change frames

Abstract Our collective future largely depends on the ways in which we frame climate change. It is argued, however, that the dominant frames are only superficially environmental and keep reproducing the (anthropocentric) hegemonic ideology. Real change, contrariwise, requires ideological transformation (biocentrism). As one frame can promote various ideologies, familiar frames like ‘Cycles of Nature’ or ‘Environmental Justice’ can provide convenient contexts for hegemonic struggles. However, little is known yet about the nature of the hegemonic and counter-hegemonic ‘subframes’. Therefore, we have conducted a qualitative framing analysis on a corpus of Belgian mainstream and alternative news articles. The results demonstrate the strong similarities among the two exemplary frames and striking contrasts within the frames. The anthropocentric ‘subframes’ foreground an external fight with a largely external enemy (carbon dioxide). The biocentric ‘subframes’ highlight internal problems within human society. However, being quantitatively and qualitatively underdeveloped, the latter still lack the potency to truly inspire. Hence, they require further (collaborative) scrutiny and development.

Framing Climate Change: Exploring the Role of Emotion in Generating Advocacy Behavior

Substantial research examines the cognitive factors underlying proenviron-mental message effectiveness. In contrast, this study investigates the role of emotion, fear and hope specifically, in the gain/loss framing of environmental policy initiatives. The 2 (threat vs. no threat) × 2 (gain- vs. loss-framed efficacy) experiment revealed emotion, especially hope, as a key mediator between gain-framed messages and desired climate change policy attitudes and advocacy. Results further supported the value of sequencing emotional experiences to enhance persuasive effect. This research offers an inaugural test of emotional flow theorizing and highlights the need for additional research on emotional processes in environmental communication.

Strategic philanthropy in the post‐Cap‐and‐Trade years: Reviewing U.S. climate and energy foundation funding

For several decades, philanthropists in the United States have played a behind‐the‐scenes role in framing climate change as a social problem. These foundations have defined climate change primarily as a pollution problem solvable by enacting a price on carbon and by shifting markets in the direction of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency practices. Funding has favored “insider” groups that push for policy action by way of negotiation, coalition building, and compromise, rather than “outsider” groups that specialize in grassroots organizing. Philanthropists have also placed less priority on funding for other low‐carbon energy sources such as nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, or natural gas, nor have they invested in actions intended to boost societal resilience, protect public health, or to address questions of equity and justice. But in the years following the failure of the 2010 Federal cap and trade bill, a review of available grants from 19 major foundations indicates that philanthropists responded to calls for new directions. Funding shifted to focus on state‐ or municipal‐level mitigation and adaptation actions and to the needs of low‐income/minority communities. Significant funding was also devoted to mobilizing public opinion and to opposing the fossil fuel industry. Nearly a quarter of all funding, however, remained dedicated to promoting renewable energy and efficiency‐related actions with comparatively little funding devoted to other low‐carbon energy technologies. The review of past funding trends provides implications for assessing philanthropic strategy during the Donald J. Trump presidency and beyond.This article is categorized under: Trans‐Disciplinary Perspectives > Regional Reviews The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles, Behavior

Climate change as a polarizing cue: Framing effects on public support for low-carbon energy policies

Abstract This study examines how public support for four specific low-carbon energy policies (renewable energy investment, revenue-neutral carbon tax, fuel efficiency regulations, expansion of nuclear power) varies when these policies are framed as a way to reduce either climate change, air pollution, or energy dependence. A survey question wording experiment with a nationally representative U.S. sample is utilized. We find framing effects only among Republicans, whose policy support was lower in response to the climate change frame versus the air pollution and energy security frames for all policies except nuclear power. This suggests that framing effects are conditional on political partisanship and policy content. When testing the processing mechanism behind these effects, we find no evidence that the climate change frame functions as a simple heuristic; rather, the findings are consistent with motivated reasoning, whereby the framing effects on policy support are mediated by the policy’s perceived relative benefits and costs.

ECO‐ANXIETY, TRAGEDY, AND HOPE: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

AbstractThis article addresses the problem of “eco‐anxiety” by integrating results from numerous fields of inquiry. Although climate change may cause direct psychological and existential impacts, vast numbers of people already experience indirect impacts in the form of depression, socio‐ethical paralysis, and loss of well‐being. This is not always evident, because people have developed psychological and social defenses in response, including “socially constructed silence.” I argue that this situation causes the need to frame climate change narratives as emphasizing hope in the midst of tragedy. Framing the situation simply as a threat or a possibility does not work. Religious communities and the use of methods which include spirituality have an important role in enabling people to process their deep emotions and existential questions. I draw also from my experiences from Finland in enabling cooperation between natural scientists and theologians in order to address climate issues.

A case for climate justice education: American youth connecting to intragenerational climate injustice in Bangladesh

In this paper, I present evidence for framing climate change education around social justice. More specifically, I provide empirical support for framing climate change education around intragenerational climate justice, and argue that this frame can influence youth in industrialized, wealthy nations to become mobilized, climate-engaged individuals. To do so, I apply critical qualitative analysis to narratives from American youth who participated in a global climate change education program in Bangladesh. My findings include the importance of contextualizing climate justice, framing climate change around humans, implicating ourselves in the problem and recognizing our own obligations in mitigation, seeing climate change as real and tangible, being in a place impacted by climate change, feeling solidarity with those impacted, and recognizing social injustice and power disparities within climate change impacts. Based on these findings, I recommend an approach that provides context, nuance, and personal connection to an otherwise abstract global problem.

Alternative Media and the Securitization of Climate Change in Turkey

Studies on securitization dynamics in a growing number of sectors have been conducted, including securitization of climate change. However, a relatively understudied agent of securitization is media. In the proposed analysis, we study Turkey’s media framing of climate change and whether and how it relates to the framings of security in general to acquire in-depth understanding of the role national media plays in securitization of climate change. Along with alternative online media outlet Bianet, mainstream outlets ( Sabah, Sözcü, Hürriyet, Milliyet) are analyzed. This article addresses the following main research question: How do the mainstream and alternative media frame climate change in the Turkish context? In order to answer this question, it adopts content analysis to analyze selected frames on climate change–related news utilized in Turkish media. Data have been collected and coded for three periods: first, the period of September–December 2007, when climate change was high on the global agenda. Second, January 1 to March 25, 2015, which was the period before the Pew survey began. Third, we have collected data for October 1 to November 4, 2015, which is the period just before the United Nations Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed. We find alternative media’s potential to serve as “alternative public sphere” by voicing the unspoken in public debate on climate change.

A multidisciplinary study of ecosystem evolution through early Pleistocene climate change from the marine Arda River section, Italy

AbstractThe Arda River marine succession (Italy) is an excellent site to apply an integrated approach to paleoenvironmental reconstructions, combining the results of sedimentology, body fossil paleontology, and ichnology to unravel the sedimentary evolution of a complex marine setting in the frame of early Pleistocene climate change and tectonic activity. The succession represents a subaqueous extension of a fluvial system, originated during phases of advance of fan deltas affected by high-density flows triggered by river floods, and overlain by continental conglomerates, indicating a relative sea level fall and the establishment of a continental environment. An overall regressive trend is observed through the section, from prodelta to delta front and intertidal settings. The hydrodynamic energy and the sedimentation rate are not constant through the section, but they are influenced by hyperpycnal flows, whose sediments were mainly supplied by an increase in Apennine uplift and erosion, especially after 1.80 Ma. The Arda section documents the same evolutionary history of coeval successions in the Paleo-Adriatic region, as well as the climatic changes of the early Pleistocene. The different approaches used complement quite well one another, giving strength and robustness to the obtained results.

Interaction of individual framing and political orientation in guiding climate change risk perception

There is a general agreement that climate change is a potential hazard threatening the global village. An appropriate level of risk perception should be a critical issue in coping with the global environmental risk. We examined the determinants of the level of climate change risk perception. In particular, we examined if individual framing of climate change interacts with political orientation in guiding climate change risk perception. The main effect of the two factors was also investigated. A nationwide online survey (N = 592) was conducted in South Korea by a professional survey agent. When self-efficacy, trust, and other demographics were controlled for, multiple regression analyses revealed that those focusing on what is happening (diagnostic framing) rather than what-to-do (prognostic framing) had higher risk perception. More importantly, only conservatives showed significantly different levels of risk perception according to their framing of the issue. Conservatives inclined to diagnostic framing showed higher risk perception than conservatives favoring prognostic framing. This difference disappeared when it comes to South Korean liberals, indicating an interaction between individual framing and political orientation. The significance of investigating individual framing, not media framing, and their interaction with political orientation are discussed.

Newspaper Framing of Climate Change and Sustainability Issues in India

This article describes how climate change influences nature and human life and it is the basis for social and economic development. News reporting on climate change must address the challenges in the deeper social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. The news coverage of climate change and sustainability issues helps people to better understand the concepts and perspectives of environment. This article aims to examine how dominant newspapers in Tamil Nadu have framed climate change and sustainability issues. This is done by analyzing climate change articles (N = 120) in two mainstream newspapers – The Hindu in English and the Daily Thanthi in Tamil. Climate change communication in regional newspapers and local news stories may increase the public's interest and knowledge level regarding climate change and sustainability issues.

Assessment of Growth, Carbon Stock and Sequestration Potential of Oil Palm Plantations in Mizoram, Northeast India

A study was conducted to assess growth, carbon stock and sequestration potential of oil palm plantations along a chronosequence in Mizoram, Northeast India for which a total of 148 oil palms drawn from different age group plantations (1 to 11 years) were sampled for their biometric parameters and assessment of carbon stock through partial non-destructive methods. All the growth parameters of oil palm (trunk height, crown depth, total height, trunk diameter) and biomass drew from different parts of the palm showed a significant (p belowground biomass (BGB) > standing litter biomass > deadwood biomass > understorey biomass. AGB, BGB and deadwood biomass followed an increasing trend while understorey biomass decreased with age. An 11-year oil palm plantation accumulated 111.96 Mg ha-1 biomass with a carbon density of 49.90 Mg C ha-1 and could sequester 3.70 Mg C ha-1 year-1 in 10 years after planting in Mizoram, Northeast India. The findings showed considerable carbon storage with comparative higher values in oil palm plantations than shifting cultivation fallows. This will enable policy and decision makers in framing climate change mitigation and adaptation policies regarding the extension of oil palm plantations in Mizoram.

Cult of the Climate Change Polar Bear: Knut is Dead, Long Live Knut

Harvey et al (2017) evaluate public commentary on internet web diaries (blogs) about polar bear science as a proxy to measure climate change ‘denial,’ a term used to delegitimize dissenting views on Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) and climate change. Greenpeace has long employed the polar bear in its advocacy advertising for climate change action. The animal achieved cult status in 2005 when a polar bear cub nicknamed Knut, was rejected by its mother at the Berlin zoo. He was adopted and raised by a German zookeeper, to the delight of the public world-wide. Knut’s appearance on the world stage coincided with the release of the climate change movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” billed as “By far the most terrifying film you will ever see.” Knut’s rise to fame overshadowed the work of a National Academies Press report that questioned the validity of the radiative forcing/greenhouse gas theory of human-caused global warming. Knut died in public on March 19, 2011, drowning in the waters of his enclosure. This paper deconstructs Harvey et al (2017) and the framing of climate change in relation to polar bears and Knut, addressing influences in financial markets and the value of the internet public forum.

Perceptions of climate change among Grade 11 learners in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa

Of all the environmental problems facing humankind today, anthropogenic-induced climate change is regarded as one of the most damaging in its potential repercussions. For this reason, the perceptions of climate change among high-school learners, who represent future decision-makers and stand as a proxy for the next generation, are of importance. This study was designed so as to gain insight into the nature of perceptions and associated determinants among Grade 11 learners in the Tshwane metropolitan municipal area. Specifically, it probed dynamics between the content in the formal curriculum (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement or CAPS) and learners’ exposure to electronic media, their peers and parents (their arenas of social interaction) in forming these perceptions. The study involved a qualitative analysis of 68 questionnaires completed by learners from two high schools. Findings include misconceptions regarding climate change among learners, as they conflate climate change and the greenhouse effect. The learners’ perceptions seem to be shaped by the cumulative outcomes of dynamics between different arenas of exposure and influence (formal education, peers, parents and the media). It is argued that learners’ perceptions about climate change fostered in formal education should also be understood in the context of their potential exposure to: (1) alarmist framings of climate change in the media; (2) conceptual disagreements in the climate change research community; and (3) the influence of peers and parents. Rather than avoiding the dynamics from contesting and diverging ‘arenas of exposure’, future climate change education planning should accommodate and align contending views that might influence the learning process. Keywords: Climate change, school curriculum, learner perceptions, media, peers