Why climate-change skepticism is so prevalent in the USA: The success of conservative think tanks in promoting skepticism via the media

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (53) ◽  
pp. 532010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riley Dunlap
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Media

scholarly journals Climate change—that is not real! A comparative analysis of climate-sceptic think tanks in the USA and Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 164 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Busch ◽  
Lena Judick
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Climate Change Denial ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Policy And Science ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe science is clear: climate change is real. In 2015, 195 countries adopted the global climate deal in Paris. Nonetheless, numerous well-organized conservative think tanks (CTTs) deny that climate change is happening. We ask what kind of counterclaims are used by climate-sceptic CTTs and to what extent these counterclaims change over time. We analyse about 2500 blog articles from prominent CTTs in the USA and Germany between 2008 and 2016. Our results show that sceptical arguments about climate policy and science dominate the countermovement. At the same time, we detect that the prevalence of counterclaims is CTT-specific and that US think tanks show a greater variability compared to their German counterparts. In a surprising outcome, we find that the Paris Agreement did not affect the climate denial movement. Based on these insights, we discuss our contributions to social movement research in the climate change denial context and derive conclusions for pro-climate campaigns.

scholarly journals Topic Modeling as a Method for Frame Analysis: Data Mining the Climate Change Debate in India and the USA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuukka Ylä-Anttila ◽  
Veikko Eranti ◽  
Anna Kukkonen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Data Mining ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Automated Classification ◽  
Specific Data ◽  
Practical Procedure ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Media

This article proposes an operationalization of topic modeling as a data mining method for studying framing in public debates. We argue that 'topics' can be interpreted as frames, if 1) frames are operationalized as connections between concepts, 2) subject-specific data is selected, and 3) topics are adequately validated as frames, for which we suggest a practical procedure. As an empirical example, we study the global climate change debate in the media, by comparing frames used by NGO's, governments and experts in India and the USA. Our model identifies 12 framings of climate change, used in varied proportions by the different actors in the two countries. Topic modeling frames enables the usage of larger datasets and facilitates discovery of previously unnoticed framing patterns. It does not replace qualitative interpretation, but rather complements it by enabling a degree of automated classification before the interpretive stage.

scholarly journals Correction to: A climate change indicator framework for rangelands and pastures of the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 163 (4) ◽  
pp. 1751-1754
Author(s):  
Dennis S. Ojima ◽  
Rebecca Aicher ◽  
Steven R. Archer ◽  
Derek W. Bailey ◽  
Susan M. Casby-Horton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Indicator Framework

scholarly journals Strategic retreat for resilient and equitable climate adaptation: the roles for conservation organizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mali‘o Kodis ◽  
Marci Bortman ◽  
Sarah Newkirk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Flood Damage ◽  
Policy Paper ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Government ◽  
Conservation Organizations

AbstractAs climate change accelerates the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, damage to public and private property is also increasing, putting exorbitant strain on governments and communities. Societies across the world are working to adapt to climate change, but climate adaptation is currently inadequate to meet the needs of the people left increasingly vulnerable and the places that risk being irreversibly changed or destroyed. One tactic of climate adaptation is strategic retreat, sometimes referred to as managed retreat. Strategic retreat is the process by which the government or another entity purchases (buys out) developed properties that are at risk of destruction or have been destroyed by natural disasters. The structure is most often demolished, and the land is placed under a permanent easement to prevent future development. What happens next is dependent on the entities involved in the buyouts, and can range from derelict, vacant lots to full restoration of ecosystems and their abilities to mitigate flood damage. Sometimes recreational amenities, such as trails or park infrastructure, are prioritized and funded as well. Conservation organizations can leverage their expertise in conservation planning, land acquisition and restoration, policy advocacy, and partnership development to improve the implementation of strategic retreat so that nature and people can thrive in the long term. In this policy paper, we review ways that conservation organizations have and can continue to engage in buyout processes to ensure positive outcomes for communities and nature. Conservation organizations must also evolve their approaches to climate adaptation to integrate equity and redress historical injustices in land use, and contribute towards improving strategic retreat for a more just and resilient future across disaster-prone communities. This work focuses on the context of disasters and climate adaptation in the USA, though many of the principles presented are applicable around the world.

scholarly journals When rebuilding no longer means recovery: the stress of staying put after Hurricane Sandy

2021 ◽  
Vol 165 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Koslov ◽  
Alexis Merdjanoff ◽  
Elana Sulakshana ◽  
Eric Klinenberg
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Flood Insurance ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Policy Shifts ◽  
Post Disaster

AbstractAfter a disaster, it is common to equate repopulation and rebuilding with recovery. Numerous studies link post-disaster relocation to adverse social, economic, and health outcomes. However, there is a need to reconsider these relationships in light of accelerating climate change and associated social and policy shifts in the USA, including the rising cost of flood insurance, the challenge of obtaining aid to rebuild, and growing interest in “managed retreat” from places at greatest risk. This article presents data from a survey of individuals who opted either to rebuild in place or relocate with the help of a voluntary home buyout after Hurricane Sandy. Findings show those who lived in buyout-eligible areas and relocated were significantly less likely to report worsened stress than those who rebuilt in place. This suggests access to a government-supported voluntary relocation option may, under certain circumstances, lessen the negative mental health consequences associated with disaster-related housing damage.

scholarly journals Manufacturing ignorance: think tanks, climate change and the animal-based diet

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Núria Almiron ◽  
Miquel Rodrigo-Alsina ◽  
Jose A. Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Think Tanks

The "Third" United Nations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Carayannis ◽  
Thomas G. Weiss
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Epistemic Communities ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Third ◽  
System P ◽  
The Media ◽  
Knowledge Brokers ◽  
State Actors

This book is about the Third UN: the ecology of supportive non-state actors—intellectuals, scholars, consultants, think tanks, NGOs, the for-profit private sector, and the media—that interacts with the intergovernmental machinery of the First UN (member states) and the Second UN (staff members of international secretariats) to formulate and refine ideas and decision-making at key junctures in policy processes. Some advocate for particular ideas, others help analyze or operationalize their testing and implementation; many thus help the UN “think.” While think tanks, knowledge brokers, and epistemic communities are phenomena that have entered both the academic and policy lexicons, their intellectual role remains marginal to analyses of such intergovernmental organizations as the United Nations. The Third UN in this volume connotes those working toward knowledge and normative advances for the realization of the values underlying the UN Charter; the book does not discuss armed belligerents and criminals, the main focus of previous analyses of non-state actors and the UN system.

Missing in Action: Experiences of women with climate journalism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zofeen Ebrahim
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Environmental Activism ◽  
Female Journalists ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Media ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Missing In Action ◽  
Experiences Of Women

This booklet narrates the stories of five female journalists from Pakistan who are working on environment- and climate-change-related issues. Women are being disproportionately and adversely impacted by climate change and female journalists are uniquely placed to understand and share their stories. However, these journalists are ‘missing in action’ from the media in sharing their experiences of environmental activism and climate action. The publication covers a range of challenges journalists face, from limitations on mobility and harassment, to gender-based discrimination in media houses. It highlights why environmental issues sometimes make headlines while remaining dormant at others.

Think Tanks and Foreign Policy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Bhatnagar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Policy Frames ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
The Media ◽  
Intellectual Elites

The role of think tanks as policy actors has developed over time and created significant global scholarship. Widely understood as non-state policy actors, think tanks established either with or without the support of government have evolved in various political contexts with varied characteristics. They are avenues for the discussion of new policy ideas as well as used for the consolidation of existing understandings of global and national political issues. As ideational actors think tanks interact with policy frameworks at different levels, either in the framing stage or at the stage of consensus building towards certain policies. Intellectual elites at think tanks allow for the introduction of think tank ideas into the policy frames as well as the creation of public opinion towards foreign policy decisions. Think tank deliberations involve an interaction with policymakers, academic experts, business and social actors, as well as the media to disseminate ideas. Institutionally, think tanks in a wide variety of political contexts play a critical role in the making of foreign policy and bring closer attention to processes of state–society interactions in different political environments.

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