Corporates allocating some meagre budgets for a few ‘ politically correct optics ’ in the name of environmental conservation will not cut it . The current situation demands that the policy makers develop a well-oiled machine , to relay the raw and unfiltered facts of climate change . It requires that climate action is inculcated in every citizen ’ s DNA . has been widely examined , revealing a socalled “ denial machine ” made up of big corporations , conservative think tanks , contrarian scientists , and a section of politicians . This has defined the worldview behind the denial countermovement as a mixture of enlightenment-liberal and conservative-core values , including a commitment to limited government , devotion to private property rights , an emphasis on individualism , support for the status quo , faith in science and technology , support for economic growth , and faith in future abundance . Largely , this has shown that climate change denial , and climate inaction as its main consequence , is also a political issue .
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Communicating For Climate Action
By Irene Mbonge
Climate change is proving to be the greatest environmental threat humanity has ever faced since the last mass extinction event , 65.5Million Years ago . Whether this is true or not , all signs indicate that it poses a major challenge to human-centered ideology and lifestyle . Despite the fact that our planet ’ s climate has changed constantly since the dawn of time , climate scientists overwhelmingly agree that the current period of warming is more rapid , is human-induced , and has serious implications for the stability of the planet ’ s biodiversity and eventually , the planets very existence .
Despite this being an existential threat for humanity and after almost forty years of discussion , the main political outcome has been inaction . The absence of effective reaction by humans to mitigate or stop contributing to global warming . Even without evidence for climate change , the mass pollution produced by humans on Earth - and its noticeable effects on nature , other animals , and humans - should be reason enough to trigger a radical shift in our habits and activities . However , this is hardly the term that can be used to describe actions that have been taken to address global warming , and environmental pollution in general . In fact , the only real radical shift has been at the level of rhetoric .
Despite the powerful influence they wield , public relations and lobbying firms usually do not forefront their own involvement in particular public relations or lobbying campaigns due to the behind-the-scenes nature of their activities . This can make it challenging to uncover the precise nature of public relations and lobbying activities . This research has , nevertheless , identified relevant information based on publicly available sources ranging from company websites to press releases and even meeting minutes .
Public Relations for the ‘ Climate Denial ’ Machine
The role played by interest groups in creating a climate change denial rhetoric
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Corporates allocating some meagre budgets for a few ‘ politically correct optics ’ in the name of environmental conservation will not cut it . The current situation demands that the policy makers develop a well-oiled machine , to relay the raw and unfiltered facts of climate change . It requires that climate action is inculcated in every citizen ’ s DNA . has been widely examined , revealing a socalled “ denial machine ” made up of big corporations , conservative think tanks , contrarian scientists , and a section of politicians . This has defined the worldview behind the denial countermovement as a mixture of enlightenment-liberal and conservative-core values , including a commitment to limited government , devotion to private property rights , an emphasis on individualism , support for the status quo , faith in science and technology , support for economic growth , and faith in future abundance . Largely , this has shown that climate change denial , and climate inaction as its main consequence , is also a political issue .
The anthropogenic causes of climate change are explained not only by particular human activities driven by politics and economics but also by the human-centric ideology we adopt when interacting with the planet , which of course shapes politics and economics but is also promoted culturally and socially , and thus communicatively . If we are to increase our understanding of climate inaction , then it is crucial to adopt a critical perspective to discuss this set of ideas , in combination with the role of public relations and , more specifically , the strategic communication of interest groups . It is therefore imperative that we appreciate that climate inaction is not only a political problem but fundamentally an ethical and communicative issue .
Climate change denial can be roughly defined as the stance that advocates against the evidence posited for human-induced global warming . The climate change denial machine has been accurately compared with the denial campaign launched by the tobacco industry in the mid-20th century .
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