Draft:Climate change narrative

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Climate change narratives are the stories told by individuals, the media, governments or NGOs that describe the phenomenon of climate change in general. These narratives can be found everywhere from the news to blockbuster fiction.[1], from government policy to protest placards[2], from art to law, or from international reports to personal anecdote. They can be about disaster, recovery, risk, uncertainty, denial, livelihoods, non-human animals and plants, people, lifestyles, responsibility and agency, or all of the above. Climate change narratives are important as they inform the way in which climate change is perceived in the present, and acted upon in the future[3]. There is no one dominant climate change narrative, however some are more prevalent than others[4], so a critical awareness of dominant climate change narratives is necessary in order to ensure equity and equality in addressing climate matters[5].

Examples of climate change narratives[edit]

  • Strategic narratives: deliberately curated climate change narratives that serve a specific purpose[6].
  • The Al Gore narrative, where one person becomes a figure of reliability and truth-telling above others [7]. This form of climate change narrative places emphasis on anthropogenic climate change and implies the solution is a human[8]
  • The climate apocalypse narrative, where climate change is depicted as an insurmountable problem that will bring about the end of mankind[9]. This narrative can also be perpetuated by grassroots movements or NGOs who use the 'end of the world' narrative for its impact and resultant effect on public action.
  • 'Green consumerism'[10] narratives, which encourage individuals to make informed consumer choices. This can detract from the global nature of climate change, instead placing responsibility on the individual[11].
  • Geoengineering climate change narratives, which focus on large-scale, geoengineering solutions such as solar mirrors, or ocean cooling pumps[12].

Limitations to climate change narratives[edit]

Climate change narratives can be useful for communicating specific issues, and for rallying support as seen through the Extinction Rebellion and School Strike for Climate movements, which used shock narratives to encourage people to sign up. These narratives can also have limitations, however, as they are often not considerate of non-Western or non-Global North perspectives[13], as well as sometimes being ableist (especially as seen with the ban on plastic straws which fits into the 'green consumerism' narrative)[14].

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The climate films shaping society". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  2. ^ Laird, Frank N. (2022). "The "save the earth!" narrative creates a narrative trap for climate advocates". Frontiers in Climate. 4. doi:10.3389/fclim.2022.900672. ISSN 2624-9553.
  3. ^ Coulter, Liese; Serrao-Neumann, Silvia; Coiacetto, Eddo (2019-08-01). "Climate change adaptation narratives: Linking climate knowledge and future thinking". Futures. 111: 57–70. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2019.05.004. hdl:10072/385846. ISSN 0016-3287. S2CID 195557492.
  4. ^ Bradley, Kida (2021-07-13). "Climate Change Narratives". www.theclimatechangereview.com. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  5. ^ Donald, Rosalind; Young, Camila; Mach, Katharine J. (2022). "The role of local narratives in emerging climate governance". Environmental Research: Climate. 1 (1): 015003. Bibcode:2022ERCli...1a5003D. doi:10.1088/2752-5295/ac7aca. ISSN 2752-5295.
  6. ^ Bevan, Colley, Workman, L., T., M. (2020). "Climate change strategic narratives in the United Kingdom: Emergency, Extinction, Effectiveness" (PDF). Energy Research and Social Science. 69. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101580. S2CID 219428884.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Rutherford, Stephanie. "Science and Storytelling: Al Gore and the Climate Debate". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  8. ^ Bushell, Simon; Buisson, Géraldine Satre; Workman, Mark; Colley, Thomas (2017-06-01). "Strategic narratives in climate change: Towards a unifying narrative to address the action gap on climate change". Energy Research & Social Science. 28: 39–49. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2017.04.001. ISSN 2214-6296. S2CID 157754761.
  9. ^ Fiskio, Janet (2012). "Apocalypse and Ecotopia: Narratives in Global Climate Change Discourse". Race, Gender & Class. 19 (1/2): 12–36. ISSN 1082-8354. JSTOR 43496858.
  10. ^ Akenji, Lewis (2014-01-15). "Consumer scapegoatism and limits to green consumerism". Journal of Cleaner Production. Special Volume: Sustainable Production, Consumption and Livelihoods: Global and Regional Research Perspectives. 63: 13–23. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.05.022. ISSN 0959-6526.
  11. ^ ward, ryan (2019-12-16). "Climate Change and Individual Responsibility: A Dangerous Narrative". CUiD. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  12. ^ Buck, Holly Jean (2019-10-01). After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration. Verso Books. ISBN 978-1-78873-036-5.
  13. ^ Gaard, Greta (June 2014). "What's the story? Competing narratives of climate change and climate justice" (PDF). Forum for World Literature Studies. 6 (2).
  14. ^ Randall, Catrina (2021-07-29). "Eco Ableism and the Climate Movement". Friends of the Earth Scotland. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
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