Local climate change cultures: climate-relevant discursive practices in three emerging economies

Area of Science:

• Cultural studies
• Environmental sociology
• Climate change communication

Background:

• Climate change is increasingly recognized as a cultural phenomenon.
• Understanding climate change requires examining cultural, political, and material contexts.
• Everyday discourse shapes climate-relevant understandings and responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate citizens' accounts of climate-relevant issues in diverse emerging economies.
• To explore how cultural knowledge influences perceptions of environmental problems.
• To understand the vernacular construction of climate change at the local level.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews with citizens in Brazil, South Africa, and China.
• Narrative approach to contextualize climate issues within lifestyle narratives.
• Discourse analysis of everyday accounts of environmental concerns.

Main Results:

• Participants predominantly framed issues within locally salient contexts.
• Few accounts explicitly mentioned "climate change"; elements were conflated with other environmental issues.
• Cultural assumptions significantly influenced understandings and response implications.

Conclusions:

• Climate change scholars must address locally relevant understandings.
• Developing dialogues that incorporate vernacular meanings is crucial for effective climate communication.
• Future greenhouse gas (GHG) emission increases in these regions necessitate culturally sensitive approaches.