Visual Representations of Climate Change - A Case Study of Canada

S Morris; Gary J Pickering

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Visual Representations of Climate Change - A Case Study of Canada

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Visual Representations of Climate Change - A Case Study of Canada

S Morris and Gary J Pickering

Journal of Environmental and Social Sciences, Vol.6(1), 139

2019

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Abstract

Environmental Science and Management

Visual communication

climate change

communications

environmental psychology

perceptions

Understanding how environmental problems, including Climate Change (CC), are visualized by the public and the media is crucial to developing effective communications strategies aimed at encouraging mitigation and adaptation behaviors. In this study, we sought to understand how Canadians visualize CC, the affective response elicited by CC images, and what factors predict the representativeness of photographs depicting CC. A representative sample of Canadian adult Anglophones (n = 618) completed an online survey that assessed responses to CC imagery and corresponding affective content (PANAS). Measures of demographics, CC beliefs/knowledge, and environmental values (NEP) were also collected. Content analysis showed Canadians mainly associate CC with ice melt, temperature, pollution, and flooding imagery. Logistic regression showed that CC representativeness of several photos is predicted by pro-environmental values, belief in the causes of CC, and political affiliation. Images generally elicited negative affect, particularly those depicting anthropogenic causes of CC, where feelings of distress and upset were strong. Importantly, CC images identified by participants differ from those commonly used in the Canadian news media. These findings will aid communicators in optimizing the use of visuals in CC messaging, and offer some guidance for more effective communication within the challenging Canadian context.

Details

Title: Visual Representations of Climate Change - A Case Study of Canada
Authors: S Morris (Author) - Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Canada
Gary J Pickering (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Journal of Environmental and Social Sciences, Vol.6(1), 139; 11
Publisher: Open Science Publications
Date published: 2019
ISSN: 2454-5953
Copyright note: Copyright © 2019 Morris S, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450998002621
Output Type: Journal article

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