Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest
Resistance to clean energy policy in the United States stems partly from public hesitancy and skepticism toward anthropogenic climate change. This article examines self-declared climate change skeptics’ views of clean energy policy along a continuum of skeptical thought, spanning from <i>epist...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Climate |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/11/221 |
| _version_ | 1797459645977067520 |
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| author | Dilshani Sarathchandra Kristin Haltinner |
| author_facet | Dilshani Sarathchandra Kristin Haltinner |
| author_sort | Dilshani Sarathchandra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Resistance to clean energy policy in the United States stems partly from public hesitancy and skepticism toward anthropogenic climate change. This article examines self-declared climate change skeptics’ views of clean energy policy along a continuum of skeptical thought, spanning from <i>epistemic denial</i> to <i>attribution doubt</i>. To perform this, we use data from an online survey administered in the US Pacific Northwest and a series of pilot interviews conducted with skeptics in the same region. Results reveal that skeptics’ support for clean energy policy is consistently linked with their environmental concern across the skepticism continuum. Conspiracy ideation and distrust in science lead to a reduction in support. However, the positive effect of environmental concern trumps the effects of these beliefs. Important and hopeful implications of these findings for climate change communication and policy are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:54:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0acb11f19ef34130b2ba4e0ffd8c53a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2225-1154 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:54:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Climate |
| spelling | doaj.art-0acb11f19ef34130b2ba4e0ffd8c53a12023-11-24T14:36:16ZengMDPI AGClimate2225-11542023-11-01111122110.3390/cli11110221Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific NorthwestDilshani Sarathchandra0Kristin Haltinner1Department of Culture, Society and Justice, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USADepartment of Culture, Society and Justice, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USAResistance to clean energy policy in the United States stems partly from public hesitancy and skepticism toward anthropogenic climate change. This article examines self-declared climate change skeptics’ views of clean energy policy along a continuum of skeptical thought, spanning from <i>epistemic denial</i> to <i>attribution doubt</i>. To perform this, we use data from an online survey administered in the US Pacific Northwest and a series of pilot interviews conducted with skeptics in the same region. Results reveal that skeptics’ support for clean energy policy is consistently linked with their environmental concern across the skepticism continuum. Conspiracy ideation and distrust in science lead to a reduction in support. However, the positive effect of environmental concern trumps the effects of these beliefs. Important and hopeful implications of these findings for climate change communication and policy are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/11/221climate changeclimate change skepticismenergyenergy policyclimate policyclean energy |
| spellingShingle | Dilshani Sarathchandra Kristin Haltinner Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest Climate climate change climate change skepticism energy energy policy climate policy clean energy |
| title | Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest |
| title_full | Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest |
| title_fullStr | Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest |
| title_short | Climate Change Skeptics’ Environmental Concerns and Support for Clean Energy Policy: A Case Study of the US Pacific Northwest |
| title_sort | climate change skeptics environmental concerns and support for clean energy policy a case study of the us pacific northwest |
| topic | climate change climate change skepticism energy energy policy climate policy clean energy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/11/221 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dilshanisarathchandra climatechangeskepticsenvironmentalconcernsandsupportforcleanenergypolicyacasestudyoftheuspacificnorthwest AT kristinhaltinner climatechangeskepticsenvironmentalconcernsandsupportforcleanenergypolicyacasestudyoftheuspacificnorthwest |