Competing narratives of climate change

Abstract

Communicating climate change presents unique problems from a public policy standpoint. Specifically, the public narrative about climate change can act to reinforce existing worldviews or, in the alternative, aid in moving worldviews in new directions. Existing policies can help or hinder this process. For example, a long-standing policy can engender an acceptance of a narrative supporting climate change as a phenomenon. Alternatively, existing policies can reinforce an antagonistic or even fatalistic narrative of climate change. This article explores existing literature on categorical narratives associated with climate change, including emerging support for those narratives. The goal is to highlight the importance of narrative in both communicating climate change and formulating public policy responses.