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Culturing and Framing: Working on the Ills of the Past, in the Present, for Tomorrow’s Benefits

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Emancipatory Climate Actions

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Abstract

The proliferation of climate-related images and symbolisms, such as pictures of emasculated bears, drowned cities, and polluted air, had led to some climate action but was weakly received in general. This weak reception occurs for myriad reasons. The behavioral and brain sciences suggest that the human moral judgment system is poorly equipped to identify future, large-scale, and long-term hazards such as those brought about by climate impacts. Culturing and framing are essential in effective climate action communication and require a better understanding of human behaviors. Visceral experiences of trigger events, mostly in the form of some psychological tipping points remain important; but they are never guaranteed. Campaigns where individuals could care about a sustainable and just future and empathize with people affected by climate impacts are the ones that are well received. Culturing and framing, thus, would involve narratives of hope, the sense of the possible, pride, and gratitude that could be attached to many climate actions in spaces where people can contribute using their existing capacities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Laurence L. Delina

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Delina, L.L. (2019). Culturing and Framing: Working on the Ills of the Past, in the Present, for Tomorrow’s Benefits. In: Emancipatory Climate Actions. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17372-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17372-2_4

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