Imagining Futurity: Imagery of Climate Change and City Sustainability

• In Event: Poster Session: STEP 1

Abstract

Images and aesthetic representation tell powerful stories about the ways international actors see themselves and want to be seen by their peers. In the case of climate change, we often see dystopian images of the threats and urgency facing our global community. However, when we look to the governance documents, particularly climate plans offered by cities globally, we see a radically different and almost hopeful narrative presented through stories and images. How do cities see the future of climate change and communicate those narratives to their residents and the global community at large? To understand the narratives cities construct about their own futurity in the face of climate, I engage in two interpretive content analysis methods -- patterning (Fujii 2018) and narrative text analysis (Shenhav 2015)—to analyze the images and narratives presented by C40 member cities (n=95) through their Climate Action Plans (CAPs). I discuss the implications of how cities construct climate futures, considering issues of who is included (and excluded) through these narratives, how these narratives align or diverge from reality, and how these narratives and images of futurity impact global city engagement on climate governance around issues including environmental justice, equity, and urgency.

Author

• Devon Kyla Cantwell-Chavez, University of Ottawa