ABSTRACT
The iconography of climate change is replete with dramatic images of the imprints of weather extremes and the effects of climate warming on physical systems. Calving icebergs are amongst the most common and images of river flooding, cyclone damage and sweltering heat are also frequently used as signifiers of climate change. These images seek to capture moments of disruption to the physical world or to the social order, thereby representing the material reality of climate change. But there are other moments of disruption which offer representations of the social reality of climate change. These could be dramatic events in the world of human discourse and political performance which also leave audiences with a sense of disorientation and disturbance. One of the most powerful of these disruptions occurred in late 2009 through the events that have commonly been dubbed ‘Climategate’.
