ABSTRACT
This chapter concludes the study of how climate change developed as a perceived social problem based on an approach that combines figurational sociology and moral panic research. In the process, this study improved the concept of moral panic, and the way in which moral panic research is carried out, to make it more ‘detached’, ‘scientific’ and less open to false dichotomies. Furthermore, it helped develop a more adequate understanding of the relation between civilizing processes, civilizing offensives and decivilizing processes. This chapter discusses these achievements, considers how this book’s research findings can inform the governance of climate change and reflects on potential future lines of research.
