For the love of coal. Post-truth politics and climate change in Australia

• In Event: Science and Activism: STS and the Environment

Abstract

As the stakes of climate change become increasingly apparent, it seems that 'post-truth' politics threatens to push us further into the anthropocene. This realisation has lead to a somewhat unusual scenario, with a number of prominent scientists turning to activism and social movements to communicate their concerns. On the other end of the spectrum, conservative Australian politicians have taken to revealing their preferences for coal with emotive stunts in parliament in support of the industry. These dynamics, this paper argues, are part of the 'post-truth' cultural moment currently being experienced in most Western nations; and reveal a further shift away from policy and debate based on notions of science and fact. In contrast to claims from Ulrich Beck and Manuel Castells that technology would democratise knowledge and lead to more socially just and environmentally sustainable outcomes, even the most shallow analysis of climate change exposes these hopes as somewhat naive. This paper makes use of media items, as well as interviews with business leaders in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, to analyse the influence of post-truth politics on climate change policy in Australia, with the suggestion that any movement for climate mitigation must consider the issue within this frame.

Author

• Vanessa Bowden, University of Newcastle