When Climate Science Became Climate Politics: British Media Representations of Climate Change in 1988.
Date
2012-05-11Abstract
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.
Description
The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Citation : Jaspal, R. and Nerlich, B. (2014). When Climate Science Became Climate Politics: British Media Representations of Climate Change in 1988. Public Understanding of Science. 23 (2), pp. 122-141
ISSN : 0963-6625
Research Group : Psychology
Research Institute : Media Discourse Centre (MDC)
Research Institute : Mary Seacole Research Centre
Research Institute : Mary Seacole Research Centre
Peer Reviewed : Yes