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Government, Anti-Reflexivity, and the Construction of Public Ignorance about Climate Change: Australia and Canada Compared

Author

Listed:
  • Nathan Young

    (Nathan Young is associate professor of sociology at the University of Ottawa.)

  • Aline Coutinho

    (Aline Coutinho is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Ottawa.)

Abstract

This article compares the political strategies used by conservative governments in Australia (John Howard) and Canada (Stephen Harper) to manage public impressions of climate change and climate change policy. These cases are significant in part because both governments acted against the weight of domestic public opinion. While many studies of political resistance to climate change mitigation focus on the role of denial, skepticism, and counter-claims, our comparison finds a significant role for what we call “affirmation techniques,” namely the rhetorical acceptance of the consensus position on climate change followed by concerted attempts to control precisely what acceptance means. We draw on recent theoretical work on anti-reflexivity and the sociology of ignorance to explain the political effectiveness of these strategies. © 2013 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan Young & Aline Coutinho, 2013. "Government, Anti-Reflexivity, and the Construction of Public Ignorance about Climate Change: Australia and Canada Compared," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 13(2), pages 89-108, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:13:y:2013:i:2:p:89-108
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ranjini Murali & Aishwarya Kuwar & Harini Nagendra, 2021. "Who’s responsible for climate change? Untangling threads of media discussions in India, Nigeria, Australia, and the USA," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Hess, David J. & Renner, Madison, 2019. "Conservative political parties and energy transitions in Europe: Opposition to climate mitigation policies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 419-428.
    3. Wang, Derek D. & Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki, 2018. "Climate change mitigation targets set by global firms: Overview and implications for renewable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 386-398.
    4. Apergis, Nicholas & Pinar, Mehmet, 2021. "The role of party polarization in renewable energy consumption: Fresh evidence across the EU countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    5. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki & Mo, Fei & Wang, Derek D., 2022. "Sustainable development of countries all over the world and the impact of renewable energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 320-331.
    6. Mark Purdon, 2015. "Advancing Comparative Climate Change Politics: Theory and Method," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, August.
    7. Llewelyn Hughes & David M. Konisky & Sandra Potter, 2020. "Extreme weather and climate opinion: evidence from Australia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 723-743, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    climate change; Australia; Canada;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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