Leave only Footprints? Reframing Climate Change, Environmental Stewardship, and Human Impact

Cheryl Hall has argued that framing of climate change must acknowledge the sacrifices needed to reach a sustainable future. This paper builds on that argument. Although it is important to acknowledge the value of what must be sacrificed, this paper argues that current frames about the environment fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethics, policy & environment policy & environment, 2017-01, Vol.20 (1), p.84-102
Main Author: Aufrecht, Monica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate change
Environmental stewardship
Environmentalism
Frame analysis
framing
Management
Narratives
Public opinion
Sacrifices
stewardship
Sustainability
Zero sum games
zero-sum game
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Summary:Cheryl Hall has argued that framing of climate change must acknowledge the sacrifices needed to reach a sustainable future. This paper builds on that argument. Although it is important to acknowledge the value of what must be sacrificed, this paper argues that current frames about the environment falsely portray humans and the environment as in a zero-sum game, and in doing so ask people to give up the wrong things (namely, their humanity and sense of self). This could undermine the public's trust in environmentalism, and might even create a backlash against action on climate change. I propose we need alternative framing that portrays humans as a keystone species, and highlights positive human activity.
ISSN:2155-0085
2155-0093
DOI:10.1080/21550085.2017.1291823