Social Representations Of Climate Change Research Articles

The representation of climate change: A retrospective newspaper analysis

This paper presents the results of an in-depth analysis aimed to identify climate change representations in four major Italian newspapers over 11 years. The objectives of the study were to map the prevailing themes, to examine the underlying semantic structures that shape the content of these themes, and to investigate their evolutionary trajectory. To this end, the study used the Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping (ACASM) procedure applied to a text corpus consisting of the journal articles. Results highlight four distinctive themes, grounded on two basic structures, according to which climate change in Italian media is represented. Additionally, the study revealed significant temporal variability in the use of the themes during the period examined. Drawing on the framework of Semiotic Cultural Psychology theory, the implications of the findings are discussed, offering valuable insights into the perception and social representation of climate change in the Italian media landscape.

Human reactions to climate change: a social psychological perspective

Climate change is a significant global challenge but also a controversial topic. In this article, we present an integrative theoretical framework and discuss the social psychological aspects of climate change, focusing on how it is communicated and understood, and how people respond to it. First, we focus on linguistic constructions of climate change and its mitigation measures, drawing on tenets of social representations theory. Second, we outline the individual and group levels of identity and their relevance to understanding how people respond to particular social representations of climate change and its mitigation measures. Third, through the lens of identity process theory, we discuss relevant climate change behaviours in terms of coping strategies which operate at individual, interpersonal and intergroup levels. We argue that social representations of climate change (and its mitigation strategies) must resonate among the general population; that they must not excessively challenge identity and wellbeing; and that people should be empowered to take action against climate change.

The social representations of climate change: comparison of two territories exposed to the coastal flooding risk

Purpose Based on social representation theory, this study aims to evaluate and analyze the similarities and differences between social representations of climate change held by people living in two territories, which have in common that they are exposed to coastal risks but have different socio-cultural contexts: on the one hand, Cartagena (Colombia) and on the other, Guadeloupe (French overseas department, France). Design/methodology/approach A double approach, both quantitative and qualitative, of social representation theory was adopted. The data collection was undertaken in two phases. First, the content and organization of social representation of climate change (SRCC) was examined with a quantitative study of 946 participants for both countries, followed by a qualitative study of 63 participants for both countries also. Findings The study finds unicity in the SRCC for the quantitative study. In contrast, the qualitative study highlights differences at the level of the institutional anchoring of the climate change phenomenon in these two different socioeconomic and political contexts. Practical implications These results are relevant for a reflection in terms of public policies for the prevention and management of collective natural risks, as well as for the promotion of ecological behavior adapted to political and ideological contexts. Originality/value The use of a multi-methodological approach (quantitative and qualitative) in the same research is valuable to confirm the importance of an in-depth study of the social representations of climate change because of the complexity of the phenomenon.

Improvement on Social Representation of Climate Change through a Knowledge-Based MOOC in Spanish

Climate Change is the most important threat to our society and all species on Earth. Large alterations in the climate are affecting every aspect of our society and in order to limit this impact we must decarbonize the economy before 2050. Although science presents solid evidence on the magnitude of the problem and outlines precisely the consequences, people do not act accordingly and do not consider this issue a priority for their survival. The reason behind this paradox might be a non-appropriate Social Representation of Climate Change in society as the Social Representation conditions and forms the response of the society. In this paper, we extend previous investigations of how this Social Representation is formed in order to find ways to improve it through a Massive Online Open Course on the Science of Climate Change. Using a validated questionnaire, we investigated the knowledge dimension of the Social Representation of Climate Change in a group of students of a MOOC on Climate Change. A pre- and posttest revealed general improvements in all the categories that were considered in this study. A detailed analysis showed different degrees of improvement for different groups, providing new insights in the efficiency of knowledge-based online courses. Well designed Massive Online Open Courses, based on scientific evidence, targeted to the general public might improve the Social Representation of Climate Change, which may in turn trigger awareness and an effective mobilization to address this important and urgent topic.

Social representations of climate change and climate adaptation plans in southern Brazil: Challenges of genuine participation

Despite some honorable advances, a huge quantity of public, private, and civil climate adaptation initiatives have failed to work in the Santa Catarina State (SC), Southern Brazil. Consequently, the state continues to face climate impacts; sometimes resulting in human fatalities. The main objective of this paper is to present a case study (Tapera da Base) within the context of the project, “Climate Change and Vulnerable Populations in Brazil”, which discusses the problems associated with climate adaptation and relates these to risk-reducing activities. The methodology adopted involved: identifying local development organizations, focus group, interviews, and survey among families in the most vulnerable areas. The main findings show that Tapera residents do not associate the possible increase in their vulnerability to climate dynamics. They point to areas such as education, sanitation, and social assistance, as their most important local problems; thus not including climate change. To generate genuine participation it is crucial to creating initiatives that promote a social learning space for residents to evaluate their self-state of vulnerability and possibilities of development. Therefore climate change can make sense and the responses at the community level will be created in the context that shape how climate risk is perceived, prioritized and managed.

Social representations of climate change and pro-environmental behavior intentions in Taiwan

To explore how people attribute meanings to climate change in Taiwan, this study applied social representations theory (SRT) to develop a self-report semi-structured questionnaire that was used to collect data. To fill a research gap, structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to examine the determinants of social representation factors that may affect the public’s intentions to engage in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). Exploratory factor analysis results obtained from 180 valid online responses indicated four factors for social representations of climate change, namely Emerging Climate Change Risk, Media Coverage and Influence, Psychological Distance, and Pro-environmental Behavior Intentions. The results of SEM analysis obtained from the total of 245 valid online and paper-and-pencil responses revealed that Emerging Climate Change Risk and Media Coverage and Influence helped explain the public’s PEBs intentions, but Psychological Distance did not. This exploratory study provides preliminary knowledge of public understanding of and response toward climate change in the Taiwanese society and demonstrates a novel application of SEM analysis to test the direct effects of social representations of climate change on PEB intentions.

Social representations of climate change in a group of college students from the University of Santiago de Compostela: common culture vs. scientific culture

Social representations of climate change in a group of college students from the University of Santiago de Compostela: common culture vs. scientific culture

Social Representations of Climate Change among Spanish University Students of the Social Sciences and Humanities

Social Representations of Climate Change among Spanish University Students of the Social Sciences and Humanities

Social representations of climate change in a group of college students from the University of Santiago de Compostela: common culture vs. scientific culture

Social representations of climate change in a group of college students from the University of Santiago de Compostela: common culture vs. scientific culture

El cambio climático en las representaciones sociales de los estudiantes universitarios

El objetivo de este artículo es describir los resultados de la investigación sobre las representaciones sociales del cambio climático en una muestra de 105 de estudiantes de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional (México). Se trabajó por medio de cartas asociativas, fundamentadas en la asociación libre de palabras a partir de un término inductor, un cuestionario con preguntas abiertas y cerradas y entrevistas cualitativas a partir de la presentación de imágenes relacionadas con el cambio climático. Los resultados muestran que los universitarios poseen representaciones sociales del cambio climático que comprenden contenidos hegemónicos (referidos principalmente a los efectos y a las alternativas educativas para enfrentarlo), emancipados (que incorporan cuestiones relacionadas con las causas), y polémicos (presentan aspectos emocionales relacionados con el fenómeno).

Climate change and beliefs in Cameroon: A qualitative study among farmers in the Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian zones

The question of climate change is a topical issue as is shown by the numerous publications on the subject during the last few years. However few publications lay emphasis on populations considered to be particularly exposed to the problem of climate change (by location or by activity) and on the impact of religion on these beliefs. In this study, two groups of Cameroon farmers working in two distinctive zones: Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian were interviewed about their social representation of climate change. Results with the free association method highlight two preoccupying social representations. The question of distance from the object is discussed in relation to studies carried out among wider publics. In addition, this study shows that religion can also play an important part in the construction of knowledge of climate change.

Human Responses to Climate Change: Social Representation, Identity and Socio-psychological Action

Climate change is one of the most important global challenges in the twenty-first century, given that a changing climate is likely to have negative and potentially irreversible consequences for the environment and human beings. Drawing upon Social Representations Theory (SRT) and Identity Process Theory (IPT) from social psychology, we argue that research should focus upon, and successfully integrate, three levels of analysis, namely (1) how climate change knowledge is constructed and circulates (social representation); (2) the role of identity in relation to these representations (identity); and (3) how people might respond to them (action). It is suggested that identity processes may determine how people process social representations of climate change, and that they mediate the link between representations and environmental behavior. Understanding human responses to climate change necessitates an integrative social sciences perspective, in terms of disciplinary, theoretical, and methodological approaches.

Social representations of climate change in Swedish lay focus groups: Local or distant, gradual or catastrophic?

This paper explores social representations of climate change, investigating how climate change is discussed by Swedish laypeople interacting in focus group interviews. The analysis focuses on prototypical examples and metaphors, which were key devices for objectifying climate change representations. The paper analyzes how the interaction of focus group participants with other speakers, ideas, arguments, and broader social representations shaped their representations of climate change. Climate change was understood as a global but distant issue with severe consequences. There was a dynamic tension between representations of climate change as a gradual vs. unpredictable process. Implications for climate change communication are discussed.

Contesting Science by Appealing to Its Norms

This study examines the rhetorical aspects of social contestation of climate change in reader comments published in the Daily Mail, subsequent to climategate. The following themes are reported: (1) denigration of climate scientists to contest hegemonic representations, (2) delegitimization of pro–climate change individuals by disassociation from science, and (3) outright denial: rejecting hegemonic social representations of climate change. The study outlines the discursive strategies employed in order to construct social representations of climate change, to contest alternative representations, and to convince others of the validity of these representations. It examines how social representations of science are formed, maintained, and disseminated.

When climate science became climate politics: British media representations of climate change in 1988

Climate change has become a pressing environmental concern for scientists, social commentators and politicians. Previous social science research has explored media representations of climate change in various temporal and geographical contexts. Through the lens of Social Representations Theory, this article provides a detailed qualitative thematic analysis of media representations of climate change in the 1988 British broadsheet press, given that this year constitutes an important juncture in this transition of climate change from the domain of science to that of the socio-political sphere. The following themes are outlined: (i) "Climate change: a multi-faceted threat"; (ii) "Collectivisation of threat"; (iii) "Climate change and the attribution of blame"; and (iv) "Speculative solutions to a complex socio-environmental problem." The article provides detailed empirical insights into the "starting-point" for present-day disputes concerning climate change and lays the theoretical foundations for tracking the continuities and discontinuities characterising social representations of climate change in the future.