Title
The earth is our home: systemic metaphors to redefine our relationship with nature
Abstract
Climate change is one of the most compelling challenges for science communication today. Societal reforms are necessary to reduce the risks posed by a changing climate, yet many people fail to recognize climate change as a serious issue. Unfortunately, the accumulation of scientific data, in itself, has failed to compel the general public on the urgent need for pro-environmental policy action. We argue that certain metaphors for the human-environment relationship can lead people to adopt a more nuanced and responsible conception of their place in the natural world. In two studies, we tested properties of multiple metaphors with the general public (study 1) and experts on climate change (study 2). The metaphor "the earth is our home" resonated with climate experts as well as diverse subpopulations of the general public, including conservatives and climate-change deniers.
Repository Citation
Thibodeau, Paul H., Cynthia McPherson Frantz, and Matias Berretta. 2017. "The earth is our home: systemic metaphors to redefine our relationship with nature." Climatic Change 142(1-2): 287-300.
Publisher
Springer Verlag
Publication Date
5-1-2017
Publication Title
Climatic Change
Department
Psychology
Additional Department
Environmental Studies
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-017-1926-z
Notes
Record for C. Frantz. Additional record for P. Thibodeau: https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/faculty_schol/3193/
Keywords
Climate change, Governance, Thinking, Publics
Language
English
Format
text
