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Five Frames of the Moment For Climate Change
Talking about about climate change solely in terms of impending catastrophe may still be reasonable from a factual standpoint, but it may not be the most effective frame for debates on climate and energy policy.
Writing on the new Dot Earth blog at NYT, Andrew Revkin explains that environmental campaigners are under fire for promoting a “politics of fear.” Catastrophism is merely one strategy among many, and it does not capture the myriad opportunities of other arguments, which involve not only mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, but also focus on re-orienting energy policy. So here are four other frames circulating in the current discussion. Each may fit a certain situation or audience better than the others, and each is a positive response to the threat of climate change.
Energy security in the U.S. interest. This is usually associated with “reducing dependence on foreign oil.” Solutions range from renewable energy sources like wind and solar to boondoggles like coal-to-liquid.
Energy security to prevent humanitarian crises. Joe Romm explained here on Science Progress the significance of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the IPCC and the former vice president: “Gore is trying to prevent a humanitarian crisis; he is trying to prevent regional wars that will be driven by resource scarcity.”
Economic opportunity at the upper end of the U.S. economy. In a conference call with bloggers yesterday, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) spoke with enthusiasm about the impending flood of capital into green technologies: “There are going to be two or three Googles created in the energy sector in the next few years.”
Economic opportunity at all levels of the U.S. economy. Growing new sectors of the economy with green collar jobs is one element; reducing the impact of rising fuel costs on low-income workers, who spend a larger share of their income on energy than wealthier workers, is another.
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