ABSTRACT

Overcoming climate change skepticism and disengagement is a pressing challenge. Evidence suggests that reactions to climate science and proposed solutions are strongly driven by emotion. This paper explores whether negative emotional responses to learning about climate impacts support recognition of the reality and risks of climate change, and whether narrative-based climate communication is an effective means of eliciting such emotions. In an experiment among U.S. residents, participants read narratives about climate change-related warming at the North Pole designed to elicit an emotional response. They reported on their emotional reactions; climate change attitudes, intentions, and behaviors; and demographics. We found that experiencing negative emotion increased acceptance of, concern about, and willingness to take action on climate change. Strong negative emotional response was particularly influential in changing climate attitudes for conservatives. A similar pattern of results was, surprisingly, observed for positive emotional response. Climate narratives were successful in eliciting negative and positive emotional responses, across both factual and emotion-laden narratives. These findings suggest that enhancing emotion through climate communication may be a promising tool for counteracting biased assimilation of controversial scientific information, and for engaging audiences who might otherwise dismiss or avoid the issue of climate change for group-identity or ideological reasons.

摘要

克服对气候变化的怀疑和脱离接触是一项紧迫的挑战。有证据表明，人们对气候科学和提出的解决方案的反应强烈受到情绪的驱动。本文探讨了对了解气候影响的负面情绪反应是否有助于认识气候变化的现实和风险，以及基于叙事的气候交流是否是引发此类情绪的有效手段。在美国居民中进行的一项实验中，参与者阅读了有关北极气候变化相关变暖的叙述，旨在引发情绪反应。他们报告了他们的情绪反应；气候变化的态度、意图和行为；和人口统计。我们发现，经历负面情绪会增加对气候变化的接受、关注和采取行动的意愿。强烈的负面情绪反应对保守派改变气候态度特别有影响。令人惊讶的是，在积极的情绪反应中观察到了类似的结果模式。气候叙事成功地引发了负面影响和积极的情绪反应，跨越事实和充满情感的叙述。这些研究结果表明，通过气候交流增强情感可能是一种很有前途的工具，可以抵消对有争议的科学信息的偏见同化，并吸引可能因群体身份或意识形态原因而忽视或避免气候变化问题的受众。