Responding to the climate crisis: Green consumerism or the Green New Deal? (original) (raw)
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From denial to delay: Climate change discourses in Ireland
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Climate change is acknowledged as a pressing-even existential-problem for societies around the world. Despite the growing body of scientific evidence concerning the extent and impacts of climate change, meaningful policy responses have not been forthcoming. Actors and organisations intent on preventing or diluting policies around climate action have adapted their discursive strategies, moving from outright denial of the reality of climate change to focus on discourses of distraction and delay. Taking the case of parliamentary debates and media coverage of the 2021 Climate Action Bill, this research examines the extent to which these discourses are prevalent in Ireland. We find that discourses of delay were present, both in Dáil debates and in the media. We discuss the influence of these discourses on later interventions which affected the implementation of provisions of the Bill and may delay transformative climate action.
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This project examines public receptivity to climate change in Ireland and how this receptivity is connected to the structure of Irish society and the translation of ‘climate change’ into that society. It provides a methodological framework for examining the social dimensions of climate change perceptions and responses built around the socio-cultural theories and methods of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. He viewed practices and power relations, associated with positions within society, as central to the formation of a ‘practical apprehension’ of the world for the occupants of those positions. This apprehension is made up of dispositions that, functioning predominantly at an unconscious level, guide our behaviour and how we classify issues and the actions of others, including those pertaining to climate change. More specifically my work looks at how different social conditions and power relations contribute to diversified climate change perceptions and responses between certain groups: namely teachers, environmental activists, farmers, businessmen and lower economic groups. My thesis also investigates how research participants contribute to their own climate change receptivity. The thesis demonstrates how inputting the social into research on climate change receptivity highlights the unequal access to choice that participants have towards engaging with climate change. It reveals a powerful connection between social distance from dominant culture and the quality of the receptiveness to the high-cultural and technical veneer of dominant depictions of climate change. The data collected points to the role in enhancing climate change engagement of higher expert literacy, socially empowered communities and moral framing and vice versa: the diminutive effect on engagement when these properties are absent. Moreover the dominant reformist approach is depicted here as disenfranchising the role of the general public, tending to individualise their possibilities for involvement. In recognising only their individualised consumer-related forms of decarbonisation reformism greatly limits opportunities for public involvement.
Irish Political Studies, 2020
The Citizens’ Assembly, a form of deliberative mini-public, tasked 99 ordinary Irish citizens with the responsibility of deliberating on five topics, after which they made recommendations to government. Throughout assembly meetings members were presented with up-to-date accurate information from experts. ‘How the State can make Ireland a leader in tackling climate change’ was considered third by the assembly over two weekends. On the final day the citizens voted on thirteen strongly endorsed recommendations for government to act on. The release of the final report in April 2018 saw a further four ancillary recommendations added. There was considerable media coverage surrounding the Citizens’ Assembly for this topic. This research undertakes a content analysis of four national media sources over fifteen-months; the Farmers Journal, the Irish Independent, The Irish Times and TheJournal.ie. We found that climate related reporting became more neutral in tone and more divergent in its re...
Citizens' Views of Climate Action in Ireland: Insights on Media Use, Trusted Sources and Perceptions
EPA (Ireland) Technical Report (2018-CCRP-DS.19), 2020
As the physical impacts of climate change become more urgent and the subject of wider public concern, greater understanding of the societal responses will be needed. Therefore, research to support communication about climate action plans and increase citizen engagement with climate and energy transition is necessary. This project addresses that challenge through an analysis of citizens’ views and media consumption about climate actions in Ireland. By investigating citizens’ current understandings and involvement with climate action, the study sheds light on what additional or new communications messages are needed. Knowledge of citizens’ media use is also crucial in the contemporary media landscape as the proliferation of media outlets requires nuanced communications strategies to reach targeted audiences. The project carried out 10 focus group discussions with naturally existing groups across Ireland, to capture a range of views on climate action and the participants also completed a survey of their trusted sources and information-seeking preferences. This report outlines the exploratory research undertaken which includes a brief summary of a systematic review of the literature on media studies of climate action. It provides insights for interdisciplinary studies of media and climate action and provides timely, empirical data on citizen engagement with climate and energy transition as it occurs in the course of daily life. The findings shed light on a number of unique issues when communicating about climate actions, such as the need to revise assumptions about the relationship between traditional media and audiences with respect to environmental challenges and socio-technical transition
Handbook of Climate change Communications, 2017
The aim of this paper is to extend current research on climate change communication by zoning in on communication about societal responses to climate change or Low Carbon Transition (LCT). Specifically, it contributes to thinking about communication strategies to foster public discussion about reducing carbon emissions. To do so, the research examines how news media represent LCT and thus act as resources for public talk about tackling climate change. This paper argues news media representations of LCT offer essential insights about the range of processes for LCT that are being made publically available and are therefore highly significant in terms of building carbon literacy and encouraging public conversations about carbon reduction activity. In particular, it highlights why communications strategies for developing climate 'smart' publics in response to COP21 must consider the implications of how news media normalise LCT as a local, social issue. Drawing on an Irish case study, this research presents a novel method for analysing press representations of LCT and shows that press treatment constrains carbon literacy by deploying a limited range of topics and failing to socially (re)contextualise the issues. The paper concludes by offering insights for communication strategies aimed at building carbon literacy: it shows how broadening the resources for public talk about LCT and thus fostering public discussion about the lived experience of climate change can contribute to public engagement with climate change.
Ireland’s New Government Puts a Green Face on the Old Order
Jacobin, July 2020
The program for government agreed upon between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and the Greens is no blueprint for radical action. While media reports have spoken of a “strongly Green-influenced programme for government,” presenting the Greens as the “big winner” from the negotiations, the deal is far less ambitious on climate change than such coverage suggests. Its incrementalist thrust is entirely deaf to the eco-socialist calls for “system change, not climate change” that have become commonplace in recent years. The new government won’t deliver the change Irish society needs, but Ireland’s left-wing forces still have a real opening in the coming years. Italian translation: https://jacobinitalia.it/lirlanda-torna-a-destra/ Spanish translation: https://www.sinpermiso.info/textos/el-nuevo-gobierno-irlandes-no-hace-mas-que-ponerle-una-cara-verde-al-orden-establecido
Hacia una transición en las prácticas comunicativas ante la irreversibilidad del cambio climático, el previsible fin del petróleo fácil y la escasez de recursos Número 91 Septiembre -noviembre 2015 Abstract. This paper sheds light on the challenges facing communication praxis for transition by reporting on an exploratory, thematic analysis of media reports about reducing carbon emissions. It maps the deployment of ideas about the rationale and multi-faceted processes for moving to a low carbon society in the Irish press. The aim is to show whether and how media reports prioritize or marginalize specific conceptualizations of low carbon transition and decarbonisation. The findings shed light on the socio-cultural factors shaping opportunities for cognitive engagement with transition. In doing so, it contributes to knowledge about how media representations shape carbon literacy or the mainstreaming of routine messages about carbon management and low carbon living. An Irish case study was chosen as it exemplifies the problems of transition for economies dependent on regrowth. It provides an opportunity to investigate the unintended consequences of the now widespread mantra of economic benefits and to highlight potential implications for citizen participation in broader social change. The research identified six media themes about reducing carbon emissions: (Targets and Regulations; Environmental Concern and Climate Change; Protecting Economy and Costs; Sustainability and Technological Innovation; Negative &/or Critical; and Radical Social Change). The study found that the dominant media themes privilege elite interests with policy-driven, economic arguments about the opportunities of transition and decarbonisation. Overtime, the analysis highlighted the marginalization of themes promoting socially-relevant conceptualizations about carbon reduction. As a result, it is argued that Irish media reports mainstream top-down conceptualizations of the multidimensional processes of transition and inadequately address the range of viable, alternative understandings of this societal challenge. The findings indicate a need for greater attention to carbon literacy in both media reports and by communication practitioners. In particular, communications strategies to encourage broad public engagement with transition should consider highlighting the sociocultural and political dimensions of carbon reduction activities.
British Politics, 2015
The environment was David Cameron's signature issue underpinning his modernisation agenda. In opposition the 'Vote Blue, Go Green' strategy had a positive impact on the party's image: the environment operated as a valence issue in a period of raised public concern, particularly about climate change, and Cameron's high-profile support contributed to the cross-party consensus that delivered radical change in climate policy. Although the Coalition Government has implemented important environmental measures, the Conservatives have not enhanced their green credentials in government and Cameron has failed to provide strong leadership on the issue. Since 2010, climate change has to some extent been transformed into a positional issue. Conservative MPs, urged on by the right-wing press, have adopted an increasingly partisan approach to climate change, and opinion polls reveal clear partisan divisions on climate change amongst public opinion. As a positional issue climate change has become challenging for the Conservatives, showing them to be internally divided, rebellious and inclined to support producer interests. This article makes a contribution to our understanding of Conservative modernisation, whilst also challenging the dominant assumption in the scholarly literature that the environment, particularly climate change, is a valence issue.