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Paving the way or crowding out? The impact of the rise of climate change on environmental issue agendas

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  • Jessica Boscarino

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as a salient issue within the USA. In response, many environmental organizations have pushed climate change to the top of their agendas. As a consequence, critics have charged that environmentalists have decreased attention to—or abandoned altogether—traditional issues such as biodiversity. This research provides empirical data to evaluate such claims. I assess the degree to which climate change has come to dominate US environmental group agendas, using data from organizational websites, financial statements, and interviews. I find that climate change has moved to the top of group agendas, emerging as a key priority and commanding a significant percentage of organizational funding. However, rather than being associated with the neglect of other issues, analysis shows that groups tend to work on a greater number of issues after they prioritize climate change. Moreover, the nature of environmental campaigns has evolved as attention to climate change has increased. Copyright AESS 2015

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  • Jessica Boscarino, 2015. "Paving the way or crowding out? The impact of the rise of climate change on environmental issue agendas," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 5(2), pages 99-110, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:5:y:2015:i:2:p:99-110
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-015-0240-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Birkland, Thomas A., 1998. "Focusing Events, Mobilization, and Agenda Setting," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(1), pages 53-74, January.
    2. Sarah Pralle & Jessica Boscarino, 2011. "Framing Trade‐offs: The Politics of Nuclear Power and Wind Energy in the Age of Global Climate Change," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 28(4), pages 323-346, July.
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