The Cultural Grounds of Concern: Some Conceptual Tools for Understanding Positions towards Climate Change and its Consequences

GABRIEL D. NOEL

Torquay, Victoria, Australia

Workshop; 40 South: Science, Arts and Environments in Distress; 2009

Monash University, Melbourne

The main goal of this paper is to discuss, from an anthropological point of view, some assumptions underlying discussions on climatic change that may hinder the process of effective claim-building from those of us concerned with the process and its consequences. Following the pioneering work of Mary Douglas on culturally framed perceptions of risk and Joel Best’s perspectives on the genesis of social problems, we will show that effective agenda-setting involves more than “building awareness” with “rational” arguments about an “obvious” problem. Since both definitions of what a problem is and evaluations about its urgency and seriousness are mediated by cultural repertories, we need to pay special attention to the premises upon which these perceptions are built. This implies, in turn, to analyze the moral grounds that different kinds of actors use to evaluate and adjudicate priorities for both individual and collective action. That knowledge should enable us to build more effective strategies and initiatives that make sense from the point of view of the different kinds of actors we would like to persuade and get involved in a global agenda to address the problems and challenges presented by climatic change.