The Culture of Climate

Change

Tanya BakerJRN 473

The Public Mood

Ambivalence

2010 Survey, Stanford University 74% believe climate change is probably happening 76% believe the government should legislate to

stop GHG emissions

YET…

78% opposed any increase in electricity prices 71% opposed any increase in taxes on gas

If It’s the Apocalypse, People Will Care… Right?

“Two-track thinking”1. The apocalypse 2. ‘Business as usual’

Expect a collapse, yet no desire to change conduct to prevent it

Climate Change as a Cultural Issue

Cigarette Smoking “Social facts”

Slavery Abolition Dependency on slavery vs. dependency on fossil

fuels Need to think of climate change as detrimental to

society as that of slavery and smoking

The Power of the Polar Bear

• 2007 – one of the most powerful and effective images of climate change hits the internet

Are We All Doomed?

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the IPCC says:

No, I’m very optimistic. I believe we have the inherent wisdom and good sense to change in time. But we have very little time to bring about change, and if we don’t change, we will suffer catastrophes in this world.

Questions?Sources

• Elmhirst, S. “We need a massive, grass-roots movement to solve climate change”. New Statesman. 7 Dec. 2009: ABI/INFORM Global, Pro Quest. Web. 6 Dec. 2010.

• Hoffman, Andrew J. “Climate change as cultural and behavioral issue: Addressing barriers and implementing solutions.” Organizational Dynamics (2010) 39, 295-305. Elsevier. Web. 5 Dec. 2010. <http://www.elsevier.com>.

• Leahy, Terry, Bowden, Vanessa and Threadgold, Steven. “Stumbling towards collapse: coming to terms with the climate crisis”. Environmental Politics, 19:6, 851-868.

• Molnar, Joseph J. “Climate Change and Societal Response: Livelihoods, Communities, and the Envrionment*”. Rural Sociology 75. 1 (2010): 1-16. Wiley Online Library. Web. 5 Dec. 2010. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1549-0931.2010.0001.x/abstract>.

• O’Neil, S., M. Hulme, J. Turnpenny, and J. Screen. “Disciplines, Geography, and Gender in the Framing of Climate Change”. Bulletin on the American Meteorological Society 91.8 (2010): 997-1002. Research Library, Pro Quest. Web. 5 Dec. 2010.

• Ziser, Michael and Sze, Julie. “Climate Change, Environmental Aesthetics, and Global Environmental Justice Cultural Studies”. Discourse 29. 2-3 (2007): 384-410. Project MUSE. Michigan State University Library, East Lansing, MI. 17 Aug. 2010 <http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/>.