Climate change deniers and advocacy: a situational theory of publics approach

Abstract

Climate change denial (i.e., organized attempts to downplay, deny, or dismiss scientific consensus on the extent of global warming, its significance, and its connection to human behavior) has been a recurrently researched topic in the United States, but is far less studied in Europe, where it is currently gathering force. The truth is that, as in the United States, climate deniers are a tiny minority in Europe. Their numbers contrast starkly with the overwhelming majority of scientists who agree on the reality of man-made climate change and the urgent need for action. However, the voices of climate deniers in Europe are amplified by a handful of influence groups, mainly think tanks, which consistently conceal their sources of funding and final interests. This situation can be approached from a strategic communication perspective, specifically within the framework of the situational theory of publics. From this standpoint, the knowledge of different variables relating to publics in a given situation regarding a public issue (like climate change) can determine the communication strategies chosen by deniers to amplify climate change denial arguments and will introduce their main communication strategies and messages.