2016/11/23 by Juliet Roper, Shiv Ganesh, Theodore E. Zorn · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Climate Change Communication and Perception #Social Media and Politics #Social and Cultural Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1177/1075547016677043
openalex publication_date 2016/11/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
This article proposes a theoretical framework to explain climate skeptics’ persuasive discursive strategies against anthropogenic global warming. By combining Bourdieu’s notions of political and social fields with discursive articulation the framework explains skeptics’ strategies to politicise climate change, generate debate, and delay political action. To illustrate the framework, we analyze publications of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition, an internationally influential organization with strong links to U.S. conservative think tanks. Findings demonstrate strategies for polarization along lines of Left versus Right ideologies by linking climate change issues to prominent social discourses, thus garnering public support and delaying policy action.