Mapping climate change discourses in Australia
Climate change is a complex issue that polarises debate and draws out multiple perspectives. Often, these perspectives are in conflict, yet climate change is a problem of such scale that it requires people from all walks of life to work together to create an effective response. The first step in designing an international response to climate change that will satisfy all parties is to improve understanding of the different perspectives that exist on climate change. One way to achieve this is through discourse analysis.
Several authors, including Steve Rayner and Michael Thompson, have used a framework called grid-group cultural theory to identify three global climate policy discourses: hierarchical, market and egalitarian. However, it is far from clear that these three discourse positions are sufficient to capture the range of important perspectives on the climate change debate. The proposed research project will undertake discourse analysis, using literature and document review, interviews and other methods, to identify climate change discourses that are evident in the policy debate in Australia. The research will also investigate how these discourses relate to each other and suggest policy approaches that would be consistent with each discourse.
The research could be given additional focus through case studies on specific policy issues, such as the debate over nuclear power in Australia or the emergence of climate change as a key political issue.
For further information about this topic contact Dr Chris Riedy
