A group of eminent academics from the universities of Nottingham, Leicester and Amsterdam will explore climate change as a complex social issue in a new ESRC/ORA-funded multi-methodological project.
Drawing on theory derived from wide ranging social science disciplines including sociology, linguistics and social psychology, the project team from the UK and the Netherlands aim to research questions such as:
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What brings about these patterns of interest and engagement or else doubt and denial in relation to climate change?
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Who are the social actors that cause them?
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What is the role of language (and especially of metaphor)?
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What are the social representations surrounding climate change and how are they formed?
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How do social actors respond to these representations?
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How are all these factors interlinked?
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And what role do social and technological networks play in this process?
Professor Brigitte Nerlich of the Institute for Science and Society at The University of Nottingham said 'We view climate change as a complex social issue, involving a wide range of social actors and organisations, including scientists, policy makers, industry, the mass media, NGOs, activist groups and lay people. Public debates about climate change have been characterised by slow periods of consensus and concern but also by sudden peaks in attention and controversy. This makes climate change a fascinating case for research into the relation between science and society and through this systematic, comparative study we hope to shed light on the dynamics of social change and human responses to social change.'
Visit the Climate Change Project website
Posted on Thursday 9th June 2011