ABSTRACT
Action on climate change is often framed as a tragedy of the commons (ToC), in which reducing greenhouse gas emissions is beneficial at a global scale but against the economic interests of each country. Given this framing, effective climate action hinges on an international agreement that compels countries to reduce emissions for the collective good. Since such an agreement appears very unlikely at present, a ToC framing leads to pessimism. But the ToC is not the only possible framing of climate change. An alternative is to view climate change as an energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables. In an energy transition, leading actors are motivated by self-interest, and their actions increase incentives for others to come on board by reducing prices and improving the performance of new technologies. However, some raise concerns that pursuing an energy transition at maximum speed may sacrifice the rights of marginalized people. This chapter examines climate change frames from the perspective of values and science. It argues that both empirical evidence about climate change and value judgments about the future we aspire to matter for decisions about which framing to adopt.
Readers may be interested in these Handbook chapters as well: Jacalyn M. Beck, “The Power of Value-Laden Framing: Examples from Wildlife Conservation Research”; T. Y. Branch, “Values in Science and Science Communication Models”; Greg Lusk, “Philosophical Approaches to Values in Climate Science”; Kyle Whyte and Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, “Indigenous Peoples’ Leadership in Environmental Science Assessments.”
