In TV there’s been this saying forever: “if it bleeds it leads” referring to what story would be the lead story in the TV newscast. It stands to reason then that “environmental catastrophe” would get more airplay and print. This study confirms what I’ve known for a very long time – chaos sells newspapers and makes ratings. Except…now people are getting saturated. AGW has become the O.J. Simpson story of our time, it has worn out its welcome. – Anthony
Media Tend To Doomsay When Addressing Environmental Issues
ScienceDaily (July 9, 2009) — This study, undertaken by researchers from the University of the Basque Country (UBC), analyses the role played by the media in creating and spreading a stance regarding the protection of the environment, sustainable development and natural heritage.
This research, published in the latest issue of the Revista Latina de Comunicación Social (Latin Journal of Social Communication in English) proposes and performs an analysis of the dialectic strategies used by the daily press to treat environmental information. Jose Ignacio Lorente, a lecturer at the UBC and one of the researchers who participated in the project told SINC that the study was concerned with “the way in which social communication media, particularly news media, contribute to creating and spreading social visions of sustainable development and the conservation and protection of the environment in general and natural heritage in particular”.
The research team studied the information published in connection with the environmental summit held in Bali in 2007. Apart from this analysis, the researchers complemented this information with a survey carried out in Urdaibai the Basque Country. The questions referred to the perceptions, attitudes and willingness to participate in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change, aspects in relation to the social representations identified in the analysis of the contents of the study.
The extensive analysis of the dialectics included an evaluation of the so-called news agendas, as well as framing procedures (the way in which the media determine how they will consider and publicly present information) and priming procedures (which ensure the relevance of certain aspects of the news that sustain the reasoning behind a given interpretation of the facts).
Lorente believes the conclusions of this study suggest that “the media make an active contribution to tackling the complexity of the sustainability crisis of the current model of development, by confining their interpretation to environmental problems, but also fail to consider the social, economic and cultural aspects of a production system based on growth and the massive exploitation of natural resources”.
What Happens and What the Media Says
According to the results of the study, the news agenda that the media developed regarding the Summit in Bali focused on scientific evidence of the global dimensions of climate change, the fact that its potentially devastating effects could be immediate and its anthropogenic nature. However, according to the researchers, this agenda “avoided addressing the real reasons behind the political argument in detail, by means of a narrative strategy in which dramatising conflicts, threats and delays regarding CO2 quotas prevailed,” becoming the top priority for the Bali Summit.
However, Lorente adds, “the emphasis the media placed on scientific evidence regarding the human nature of the causes for climate change was not linked to citizens’ sphere of activity, despite fact that their everyday decisions and behaviour – transport, energy saving, recycling – account for 20% of the problem”.
According to the research by the UBC, alarmist and catastrophist news focusing on the risk of natural disasters and the urgency of political and economic action “places the emphasis on the heroic efforts of abstract and distant individuals whose motives are not always clear”. This approach, they say, appears to lack references to or be based on citizen’s everyday life.
Furthermore, the prominence of the eco-efficient approach (based on expectations that techno-scientific development is enough to mitigate the effects of climate change) results in the media not covering the debate in connection with the social, economic and cultural model that citizens are willing to assume and share, reinforcing instead, according to Lorente, the perspective that our current way of life, production and consumption is the only option available when it comes to interpreting development and sustainability.”
Journal reference:
- José Ignacio Lorente; José Enrique Antolín; Francisco Javier Doblas. La construcción mediática de lo ecológico. Estrategias discursivas en la información de actualidad. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, Number 64, pages 315-327
OK, so this is off topic, but the google ad that popped for me with this article was for a book titled:
“More than another warning: A user’s guide to a warmer world.”
The best part was the caption below it which read “Now 35% off.” I wonder when that book will be on a fire sale at 90% off, or given away and burned to heat up our recently cooling world?
Ron de Haan ~
You are correct sir. Since the 1940’s the communists have plotted to take our liberties. In the 1950’s they started infiltrating government and the press. In the 1960s radical communist’s message was “don’t trust anyone over 30.”
These radical communists are in power now. They plan to have their socialist utopia, envisioned for decades, implemented. Today’s communists are called liberals, progressives, and socialists. They have taken over the Democrat party, the press, and the “environmental movement.”
You are not going nuts sir. You are witnessing a counter-revolution that wants to take our GOD given rights away by the denial of GOD. No God, no inalienable rights given to us by God.
They are not called “Godless commies” for nothing. The lie of AGW is just a means to their stated ends and goals.
Pearland Aggie (09:16:27) :
“but, but, but…i thought those electric cars were the panacea!”
Nope not a panacea. A panacea requires a pandemic (or something equally terrifying.) What we have is a naturally varying climate and an addiction to foreign oil @ur momisugly $700B annually. The fix, is not rocket science. Transition to domestic energy resources. Cheapest resource immediately available? Electricity. Yes, 50% from coal (at present.) The Chevy Volt will go 40 miles on a single charge. Cost of that charge is about $1.50. GM research shows that 75% daily commutes in the U.S. are under 40 miles per day.
This has nothing to do with AGW, climate or CO2. Just plain old fashioned common sense. Want to break addiction to foreign oil? Quit using it or replace it with domestic resources. U.S. generates 986k MW – nearly half unused overnight. Today, it’s all about Energy Independence. Like I said… It’s not rocket science.
Peter Plail,
I am just guessing here as to how gender issues relate to climate change, but it might be along the lines of Male = agression, raping of Mother earth, versus Female = nurturing. If so, then they should rewrite their entry requirements to serious scientists not welcome on this course.
BTW, does passing this qual get you a job as an IPCC committee member? Might join myself then, if I am able to not vomit in the class.
Ron de Haan (09:43:22) This is more probably a world conspiration than a local problem, as professor Kaiser tell us. However if it does not succeed in the most powerful country it will be easier to be defeated everywhere else, provided you do something about it.
OSUprof: Was Hansen’s lecture announced in advance? Do we know where he will be next?
Small point about Ron de Haan’s post re Dr. David Kaiser’s ‘History Unfolding’ – Winston Churchill never sat in the House of Lords; he was proud of being a commoner and member of the House of Commons, and later in life he had too much self-respect to accept a peerage.
One problem with going en mass to electric vehicles. The bottleneck resource will then be lithium (for advanced batteries). We have enough for research, but mass deployment will require more than domestic sources can supply. Look up where the lithium resources are distributed.
A couple of cultural notes:
As many people may know, Nevada is Spanish for Snowed, so the second picture fits more with the name of the state. It reminds me of Greenland, It seems to me that the medieval explorers didn’t like Hansen’s hockey stick, or that they tried to fool us by giving funny names to the places they discovered.
Las Vegas means “the river banks” and somehow it relates to the place where the survey was taken:
Urdaibai is Basque for pork river, (urdai = pork, ibai = river)
BWT, my nick, Urederra, is also basque, It means fresh water, (ura = water, ederra = good) It is also a river that flows from the Spanish region of Navarre, not too far away from Urdaibai.
Ron de Haan (09:43:22) :
Ron,
Last time I asked you why, you said population control. It appears
that there is more to it than that. May I suggest it is boredom;
people with too much time on their hands, no real direction, and
the power or money to force a change. I think that’s why we don’t
get the process. We are, for the most part, motivated to discover
the unknown, to advance the society through advancements in
technology and to make our collective situation better. They are
motivated by self interest, power and the control of others. Kind of
a gated community that has spilled over the gates. They are never
honest in divulging their motivations, nor is honesty a particularly
important trait to them. I have noticed that they will say or omit
whatever is necessary to obtain their goal. I believe there must be a
few in the media that have yet to succumb. Anyway, if nothing else,
this should highlight the necessity and importance of history as field
of study.
Dave
Ray (09:17:59) :
Torturous!
E.M.Smith (10:14:10) :
“For a variety of reasons, I’ve been interviewed by the media many times (…) Everything is “tabloid journalism” these days.”
I just want to say that I truly appreciated these comments and know exactly what you mean having had similar experiences as have some friends of mine a few years ago to whom I will send copies of your post, if you don’t mind. Your analysis of the situation is valid. A press release is important too and to go to an interview well prepared with a “press release” in your head.
You are right, it certainly is hard to pull off.
Ray (09:32:21) :
very true, which is why we really need a quantum leap in battery technology.
Indiana Bones (10:31:25) :
I couldn’t agree more…
Conservative&denialist (09:27:36) :
LOL…i hear the Gore Effect is in full swing at his next appearance site!
The real journalists that decided to uphold the profession are either dead, retired, working for the independant press or blogging.
Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Crisis: Just add 1 can of FUD, stir while bringing to a boil.
Sprinkle with panic Greens and serve.
Regardless of the attribution of the Kaiser item, it seems to stand on it’s own merits. I’ve not researched all of the details mentioned in the piece, but most have been discussed at one time or another in the news, and on-line. The one part of it that disturbs me, is the obvious appeal to fear of the unknown.
On the other hand, there are many well documented examples throughout history of entire civilizations essentially disappearing. The precise cause of those falls of empire are the subject of much debate, and range from environmental to religious. I would suggest, to anyone who may be interested, that a informative read is “Cannibals and Kings”, by Marvin Harris, a noted cultural anthropologist. It’s a discussion of human cultural evolution, and provides a framework in which to understand current events. As with most books, it is easily available from Amazon, and well worth the few $$ .
April E. Coggins (11:12:31):
Yes, Dr. Hansen’s lecture was announced in advance. I learned of his presentation via posters here on the campus that appeared a few weeks ago. His seminar was part of a conference that was held on the Oregon State University campus. It was a smallish turnout considering his influence in this field.
I do not have any information about his next public appearance.
Of course it’s now Climate Change instead of AGW.
And it’s now G8 Pledge Drives instead of Cap & Trade.
Pay no attention to the angry crowd wearing sweaters in July.
Pearland Aggie (12:07:55) :
Linda Nazar from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, might just be on the right path. http://news.therecord.com/article/542189
I used to use her x-ray powder diffraction instrument when I did my PhD there (in the lab above). At the time she worked on polymer batteries, and I think she still does.
The sudden dischare of energy in ALL energy storage systems was always and will always be a problem, it does not only apply to batteries. But the more energy you pack in smaller storage systems, the bigger the boom when it goes wrong… the best example is the hydrogen bomb…. lots of power in such small volume.
“Vincent (10:48:23) :
Peter Plail,
I am just guessing here as to how gender issues relate to climate change, but it might be along the lines of Male = agression, raping of Mother earth, versus Female = nurturing. If so, then they should rewrite their entry requirements to serious scientists not welcome on this course.
BTW, does passing this qual get you a job as an IPCC committee member? Might join myself then, if I am able to not vomit in the class”
I have the dubious priviledge of teaching a little bit about environmental ethics and can back up the point about ‘man’ raping the earth as a main theme. Check out the main journal for an insight into how a lot of environmentalists think.
http://www.cep.unt.edu/vol/vol30.html
cheers David
Telboy (11:17:26) :
Small point about Ron de Haan’s post re Dr. David Kaiser’s ‘History Unfolding’ – Winston Churchill never sat in the House of Lords; he was proud of being a commoner and member of the House of Commons, and later in life he had too much self-respect to accept a peerage.
Telboy,
I have posted your remark at the site where I found the article.
Thanks.
The University of East Anglia – a disguised setting for Malcolm Bradbury’s ‘The History Man’. A novel that will tell you all you need to know about the amoral and unscrupulous methods of the leftwing intellegensia, to further their interests via non existent ‘issues’. Published 35 years ago but as true today as ever.
Curiousgeorge (12:25:03) :
Regardless of the attribution of the Kaiser item, it seems to stand on it’s own merits. I’ve not researched all of the details mentioned in the piece, but most have been discussed at one time or another in the news, and on-line. The one part of it that disturbs me, is the obvious appeal to fear of the unknown.
On the other hand, there are many well documented examples throughout history of entire civilizations essentially disappearing. The precise cause of those falls of empire are the subject of much debate, and range from environmental to religious. I would suggest, to anyone who may be interested, that a informative read is “Cannibals and Kings”, by Marvin Harris, a noted cultural anthropologist. It’s a discussion of human cultural evolution, and provides a framework in which to understand current events. As with most books, it is easily available from Amazon, and well worth the few $$ .
Curiousgeorge,
I think the fear of the unknown future is not the point.
It is the comparison between what happened in Germany and what happens now.
One thing is for sure, the current forces in Government are not working on our behalf (the should be).
They serve a totally different Agenda.
I recently posted a link to an article which provides an anayses of the recent G8 meeting, published at Lubos Motls site: http://motls.blogspot.com/2009/07/g8-err-g7-ban-ice-ages-and-order-global.html
It is worth reading.
Although the they do not get to the essence of what really drives the decision making process it provides some strong indications what the consequences of the planned policies will be.
Thanks for the book tip, I will try to get this title from the city library and read it.
TomLama (10:30:40) :
Ron de Haan ~
You are correct sir. Since the 1940’s the communists have plotted to take our liberties. In the 1950’s they started infiltrating government and the press. In the 1960s radical communist’s message was “don’t trust anyone over 30.”
These radical communists are in power now. They plan to have their socialist utopia, envisioned for decades, implemented. Today’s communists are called liberals, progressives, and socialists. They have taken over the Democrat party, the press, and the “environmental movement.”
You are not going nuts sir. You are witnessing a counter-revolution that wants to take our GOD given rights away by the denial of GOD. No God, no inalienable rights given to us by God.
They are not called “Godless commies” for nothing. The lie of AGW is just a means to their stated ends and goals.
TomLama,
If your conclusions are correct, we are at war now.
Headline of the year to date: CAN BARACK OBAMA SAVE US FROM HELL? (apologies for the caps.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthcomment/geoffrey-lean/5789961/Can-Barack-Obama-save-us-from-hell.html
Ron de Haan is right to keep pointing out the conspiracies and it mostly boils down to the UN, the NGO’s and the eco-billionaires: There is an
interesting essay here: http://www.ecofascism.com/article18.html
Waldheim’s Monster: United Nations’ Ecofascist Programme
A brilliant analysis on the growth of the UN can be found here, ironically on a conspiracy web site.
Global Governance: Why? How? When?
http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/Global_Governance_1.htm
Then check out http://www.glogov.org, a grouping which includes Stern’s LSE, Schellnhuber’s Potsdam, reps from UEA etc. etc. This is a quick sample of papers:
36. Regime Conflicts in Global Environmental Governance – A Framework for Analysis. By Fariborz Zelli. Global Governance Working Paper No 36. 2008.
34. Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures – The Case of Climate Policy. By Frank Biermann, Philipp Pattberg, Harro van Asselt, and Fariborz Zelli. Global Governance Working Paper No 34. 2007. (accepted for publication with Global Environmental Politics)
33. Preparing for a Warmer World. Towards a Global Governance System to Protect Climate Refugees. By Frank Biermann and Ingrid Boas. A shorter version of this paper has been published in Environment, November-December 2008.
32. Remapping Global Climate Governance: Fragmentation beyond the public/private divide. By Philipp Pattberg and Johannes Stripple/ Global Governance Working Paper No 32. 2007.
But it is all about “The Science”, isn’t it?
It really made me think of this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/just-96-months-to-save-world-says-charles-1738049.html
Increasingly irrelevant, facing the fact that his mother will not die in his lifetime so he will never be “king”, he’s trying to create some relevance for himself in his lifetime, clinging to the hope that if he can scare somebody, they might pay attention to him. Just like Hanson and Gore, and…well… the rest of the increasingly irrelevant mainstream media.
Well, we are paying attention to them. And it is rather like paying attention the village idiot….