<
https://grist.org/language/calling-climate-change-a-crisis-or-emergency-stu/>
"The way people talk about our overheating planet has been getting pretty
spicy. Bland, neutral-sounding phrases like
global warming are out; evocative
words like
crisis and
emergency are in. Some activists have argued that
more urgent language will jolt people into realizing that climate change is
already here, prompting a speedier effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions. As
an opinion piece in the Guardian once put it: “Our planet is in crisis. But
until we call it a crisis, no one will listen.”
New research, however, casts doubt on this premise. A study recently published
in the journal Climatic Change is among the first to examine the effects of
using
climate crisis and
climate emergency. It reported that reading these
phrases “did not have any effect on public engagement,” measured in terms of
whether the words had altered people’s emotions, their support for climate
policy, or their belief that action could make a difference.
“We were pretty surprised that the terminology has such minimal effects,” said
Lauren Feldman, a professor of media studies at Rutgers University and a
coauthor of the study. Researchers found one instance where the stronger
phrasing backfired: News organizations deploying
climate emergency came
across as slightly less trustworthy, perhaps because it could sound alarmist.
The overall takeaway is that journalists and climate advocates might be getting
too hung up on specific words when the bigger picture is much more important,
Feldman said. What makes an article resonate with people has more to do with
its subject. News stories that emphasize taking action tend to make people feel
hopeful. Articles that highlight solutions are also viewed as more credible,
and people are less resistant to them. Consider a recent piece from the New
York Times that explores how the Republican mayor of Carmel, Indiana, built 140
roundabouts in town, in part to cut down on the carbon emissions from cars
waiting at stoplights.
On the other hand, news of disasters turns people off. “Focusing on the threat
and negative impacts and the political conflicts surrounding climate change can
be very immobilizing,” Feldman said. It’s worth noting, though, that behavior
is complicated, and neither hope nor fear consistently inspire people to act on
climate change."
Via Robert Sanscartier.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
