How Societies Frame Climate Change: Clusters and Contents

• In Event: 156 - Section on Global and Transnational Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 05. Environment and Global Responses to Climate Change

Abstract

The Paris COP 21 concluded an agreement among 185 countries to implement Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A crucial condition of the agreement is enhanced “transparency of action and support.” Transparency involves clarifying the framing of the climate change problem as well as implementing emissions reduction policies. This paper compares the framing of climate change in 17 societies representing both the largest emitters and a variety of types of cases. The research project extracted 156 frames from 8940 newspaper articles about climate change published in the 17 societies during the two year period (2007-8) preceding 2009, the year of the pivotal Copenhagen COP 15. We examine how framing varies along four dimensions: use of climate science, recognition of ecological impacts, engagement with climate politics, and support for mitigation policy. Knowledge of this global field of discourse will add to the transparency of global negotiations.

Authors

• Jeffrey Broadbent, Univ of Minnesota

• John Sonnett, University of Mississippi