Representing the politics of the greenhouse effect
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the discursive strategies of political actors and the media in their re-constructions of climate change and identify the continuities and discontinuities in its representation and the historically constitutive power of discourse.
Abstract: This article aims to identify the discursive strategies of political actors and the media in their re-constructions of climate change. The analytical framework employed in this research project builds on the tradition of critical discourse analysis and has both diachronic and synchronic axes. On the one hand, by tracing the biography of the greenhouse effect as a public issue, the article will look at continuities and discontinuities in its representation and at the historically constitutive power of discourse. On the other hand, the systematic comparison of representations of the problem in three British ‘quality’ newspapers – The Guardian, The Independent, and The Times – at given moments shows that there are alternatives and therefore enhances a critical examination of discursive strategies.
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TL;DR: This article analyzed US newspaper and television coverage of human contributions to climate change from 1988 through 2004, and found that adherence to first-order journalistic norms (personalization, dramatization, and novelty) signified the employment of second-order norms (authority-order and balance) and that this has led to informationally de-dependent massmedia coverage of this crucial issue.
725 citations
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: This chapter aims to provide a rigorous understanding of the dimensions of exposure and vulnerability, as well as a proper assessment of changes in those dimensions, by further detailing the determinants of risk as presented in Chapter 1.
Abstract: Many climate change adaptation efforts aim to address the implications of potential changes in the frequency, intensity, and duration of weather and climate events that affect the risk of extreme impacts on human society That risk is determined not only by the climate and weather events (the hazards) but also by the exposure and vulnerability to these hazards Therefore, effective adaptation and disaster risk management strategies and practices also depend on a rigorous understanding of the dimensions of exposure and vulnerability, as well as a proper assessment of changes in those dimensions This chapter aims to provide that understanding and assessment, by further detailing the determinants of risk as presented in Chapter 1
The first sections of this chapter elucidate the concepts that are needed to define and understand risk, and show that risk originates from a combination of social processes and their interaction with the environment (Sections 22 and 23), and highlight the role of coping and adaptive capacities (Section 24) The following section (25) describes the different dimensions of vulnerability and exposure as well as trends therein Given that exposure and vulnerability are highly context-specific, this section is by definition limited to a general overview (a more quantitative perspective on trends is provided in Chapter 4) A methodological discussion (Section 26) of approaches to identify and assess risk provides indications of how the dimensions of exposure and vulnerability can be explored in specific contexts, such as adaptation planning, and the central role of risk perception and risk communication The chapter concludes with a cross-cutting discussion of risk accumulation and the nature of disasters
647 citations
TL;DR: There is evidence of social learning as actors build on their experiences in relation to climate change science and policy making, and a cultural perspective is argued for to be brought to bear on studies of climate change risk perception.
Abstract: This article argues for a cultural perspective to be brought to bear on studies of climate change risk perception. Developing the “circuit of culture” model, the article maintains that the producers and consumers of media texts are jointly engaged in dynamic, meaning-making activities that are context-specific and that change over time. A critical discourse analysis of climate change based on a database of newspaper reports from three U.K. broadsheet papers over the period 1985‐2003 is presented. This empirical study identifies three distinct circuits of climate change—1985‐1990, 1991‐1996, 1997‐2003—which are characterized by different framings of risks associated with climate change. The article concludes that there is evidence of social learning as actors build on their experiences in relation to climate change science and policy making. Two important factors in shaping the U.K.’s broadsheet newspapers’ discourse on “dangerous” climate change emerge as the agency of top political figures and the dominant ideological standpoints in different newspapers.
588 citations
Additional excerpts
...…theoretical approach to understanding the production and consumption of media representations of climate change, before turning to an indepth case study based on analysis of 19 years’ coverage of climate change in a sample of the U.K.’s broadsheet newspapers (Carvalho, 2002, 2005)....
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TL;DR: The authors argue that the discursive (reconstruction of scientific claims in the media is strongly entangled with ideological standpoints, i.e., what the relevant "facts" are, and who are the authorized "agents of definition" of science matters.
Abstract: Focusing on the representation of climate change in the British “quality press,” this article argues that the discursive (re)construction of scientific claims in the media is strongly entangled with ideological standpoints. Understood here as a set of ideas and values that legitimate a program of action vis-a-vis a given social and political order, ideology works as a powerful selection device in deciding what is scientific news, i.e. what the relevant “facts” are, and who are the authorized “agents of definition” of science matters. The representation of scientific knowledge has important implications for evaluating political programs and assessing the responsibility of both governments and the public in addressing climate change.
504 citations
Cites background or methods from "Representing the politics of the gr..."
...As also shown by analysis of discourse on the politics of climate change (Carvalho, 2005), an ideological culture of neo-liberal capitalism is hegemonic in The Times....
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...This was stimulated by Margaret Thatcher’s appropriation of the risks of climate change to promote nuclear energy and dismantle the coal industry (Carvalho, 2002, 2005)....
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...See Carvalho (2005) for an analysis centered on the politics of climate change in the press, i.e. representations of issues, events and debates related to the political management of climate change, at the national and international levels (e.g. summits, political speeches and policy programs)....
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TL;DR: The authors integrated a quantitative review of one year of US newspaper coverage of climate science with a qualitative, comparative analysis of media-created themes and frames using a social constructivist approach, focusing on articles constructed with and framed by rhetoric emphasizing uncertainty, controversy, and climate scepticism.
Abstract: This two-part study integrates a quantitative review of one year of US newspaper coverage of climate science with a qualitative, comparative analysis of media-created themes and frames using a social constructivist approach. In addition to an examination of newspaper articles, this paper includes a reflexive comparison with attendant wire stories and scientific texts. Special attention is given to articles constructed with and framed by rhetoric emphasising uncertainty, controversy, and climate scepticism.
492 citations
Additional excerpts
...…concentrate on newspaper reporting of climate change (e.g. Trumbo, 1996 [US]; McComas and Shanahan, 1999 [US]; Nissani, 1999 [US]; McManus, 2000 [Australia]; Taylor and Nathan, 2002 [UK]; Dispensa and Brulle, 2003 [US, New Zealand, and Finland]; Boykoff and Boykoff, 2004 [US]; Carvalho, 2005 [UK])....
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References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the climate system and its dynamics, including observed climate variability and change, the carbon cycle, atmospheric chemistry and greenhouse gases, and their direct and indirect effects.
Abstract: Summary for policymakers Technical summary 1. The climate system - an overview 2. Observed climate variability and change 3. The carbon cycle and atmospheric CO2 4. Atmospheric chemistry and greenhouse gases 5. Aerosols, their direct and indirect effects 6. Radiative forcing of climate change 7. Physical climate processes and feedbacks 8. Model evaluation 9. Projections of future climate change 10. Regional climate simulation - evaluation and projections 11. Changes in sea level 12. Detection of climate change and attribution of causes 13. Climate scenario development 14. Advancing our understanding Glossary Index Appendix.
13,366 citations
"Representing the politics of the gr..." refers background in this paper
...…depletion of the ozone layer, and climate change are some of the worst expressions of environmental degradation, with the latter being possibly one the most serious risks to be faced in the current century (Houghton, 1997; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, 2001; King, 2004)....
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...Present scientific consensus points to anthropogenic causes for climate change (IPCC, 1996; 2001), associated with transport, industry, heating, and other uses of fossil fuel energies, as well as deforestation....
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Book•
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: Part 1 The clause: constituency towards a functional grammar clause as message clause as exchange clause as representation and above, below and beyond the clause: below the clause - groups and phrases above the clauses - the clause complex additional.
Abstract: This third edition of An Introduction to Functional Grammar has been extensively revised. While retaining the organization and coverage of the earlier editions, it incorporates a considerable amount of new material. This includes strengthening the grammar through the use of data from a large-scale corpus, upgrading the description throughout, and giving greater emphasis to the systemic perspective, in which grammaticalization is understood in the context of an overall model of language.The approach taken in the book overcomes the distinction between theoretical and applied linguistics. The description of grammar is grounded in a comprehensive theory, but it is a theory which evolves in the process of being applied.
12,963 citations
5,312 citations
4,613 citations
"Representing the politics of the gr..." refers background in this paper
...The concept of ‘discourse strategy’ has been employed to refer to different phenomena, from the cognitive processes involved in the comprehension of discourse (van Dijk & Kintsch, 1983 ) to ways of overcoming communication problems (Gumperz, 1982 )....
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...The concept of ‘discourse strategy’ has been employed to refer to different phenomena, from the cognitive processes involved in the comprehension of discourse (van Dijk & Kintsch, 1983) to ways of overcoming communication problems (Gumperz, 1982)....
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Book•
01 Jun 1996
TL;DR: The most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment available for scientific understanding of human influences on the past present and future climate is "Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change" as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This extensive report entitled “Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change” is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment available for scientific understanding of human influences on the past present and future climate. Its aim is to provide objective information on which to base global climate change that will ultimately meet the aim of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report includes an overview of the factors governing climate and climate change and quantification of the sources of globally important greenhouse gases and other pollutants arising from human activities. A review of the chemical and biological processes governing their removal from the atmosphere is presented. Also included is an assessment of recent trends in climate during the industrial era which has witnessed the ever-growing impact of human activities on the global environment. The strengths and weaknesses of various climate mathematical models used by researchers for understanding the past and present climate and for calculating possible future climates are assessed. Furthermore the report discusses research aimed at the detection of human influence on the climate of the last century and presents future change projections in global climate and sea level based on a range of scenarios of future emissions of pollutants due to human activity. Finally a list of research and observational priorities needed to improve scientific understanding in key areas is presented.
4,397 citations