Representing Climate Change in an Era of Post-Truth: A Tripartite Criminological Approach

• In Event: Exploring the Intersections of Narrative Criminology and Visual Criminology: Current Research and Future Directions

Abstract

The present paper builds on prior writing on the visual or ophthalmological aspects of climate change. In particular, it contends that in an age of climate change denial and “post-truth”—which Oxford Dictionaries defines as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”—developing a visual language and understanding of climate change becomes of paramount importance. This paper suggests that while media representations may serve to reduce climate change to a stock set of visual clichés, art may improve our visual acuity. Accordingly, this paper looks at a range of artwork on the causes and consequences of climate change and considers the capacity of such work to inspire political action

Author

• Avi Brisman, Eastern Kentucky University