Description
Large-scale assessments, such as those by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have been crucial in advancing our understanding of climate change. They have affirmed that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions is urgently needed to avoid its disastrous consequences and that we possess the scientific knowledge and technical ability to meet that challenge. Citizens around the world are concerned about climate change and are willing to do something about it. What stands in the way of action? Climate Obstruction systematically addresses the complex, organized, and well-funded set of actors who have actively resisted and undermined policy efforts to address climate change. This volume assembles nearly one hundred top experts from around the world to make the case that as climate action becomes globalized, efforts to obstruct it have become more deceptive, widespread, better funded, and dangerous. Contributors review and analyze the obstruction efforts undertaken by fossil-fuel industries, utilities, the transportation sector, agribusinesses, public-relations firms, and organizations on the political far right. They also examine the role and effects of the media in disseminating climate disinformation and misinformation, and how these narratives potentially affect public opinion on climate action. They assess how obstruction of climate action occurs across the Global South, at the subnational level, at the United Nations and in the IPCC, and in the context of climate adaptation, concluding with a discussion of legal, state, and non-state efforts to address climate obstruction.Providing a first-of-its-kind assessment of global climate obstruction, this volume advances our understanding of efforts to slow or block policies on climate change, which can guide more effective action to prevent obstruction in the future. This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.
Table of Contents
AcknowledgmentsList of FiguresList of TablesList of Contributors1. Introduction: Understanding Obstruction of Climate ActionJ. Timmons Roberts, Carlos R. S. Milani, Jennifer Jacquet, and Christian Downie2. The Global Role of the Oil and Gas Industry in Climate Delay and DenialLead authors: Geoff Dembicki, Kristoffer Ekberg, and Kert Davies Contributing authors: Ann-Kristin Bergquist, Ada Nissen, and Stella Levantesi3. How Coal, Utilities, and Transportation Impede Climate ActionLead authors: Jen Schneider and Gregory TrencherContributing authors: Peter K. Bsumek, Christian Downie, Paul K. Gellert, Giulio Mattioli, Jason Monios, Peter Newell, Jennifer Peeples, Joeri Wessling, Emily Williams, Ryan Wishart, and Ben Youriev4. The Animal Agriculture Industry's Role in Obstructing Climate ActionLead authors: Kathrin Lauber and Viveca MorrisContributing authors: Jennifer Jacquet, Peter Li, Ina Moller, Silvia Secchi, Alex Wijeratna, and Melina De Bona5. Climate Policy Obstruction on the Right and the Far RightLead authors: Dieter Plehwe and Justin FarrellContributing authors: Lucas Araldi, Jesse Callahan Bryant, William Callison, Kert Davies, Ruth E. McKie, Sotiris Mitralexis, and Alexandru Racu6. Steering the Discourse: Legacy News, Social Media, Advertising, and Public RelationsLead authors: Melissa Aronczyk and Maxwell BoykoffContributing authors: Travis G. Coan, Myanna Lahsen, Hanna E. Morris, and Chris Russill7. Understanding the Political and Psychological Roots of Climate Misinformation and Its Impact on Public OpinionLead authors: Dominik A. Stecula and John Cook Contributing authors: Arunima Krishna, Adrian Dominik Wojcik, Jean Carlos Hochsprung Miguel, Matthew Hornsey, and Salil Benegal8. Climate Obstruction Across the Global SouthLead authors: M. Omar Faruque and Ruth E. McKieContributing authors: Lucas G. Christel, Claire Debucquois, Guy Edwards, Paul K. Gellert, Ricardo A. Gutierrez, Kathryn Hochstetler, Yifei Li, Carlos R. S. Milani, Elisabeth Mohle, Oluwaseun J. Oguntuase, and Jonathan R. Walz 9. Blocking Climate Action at Subnational LevelsLead authors: Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, Joshua A. Basseches, and Marcela Lopez-VallejoContributing authors: Lucas G. Christel, Andrew B. Kirkpatrick, Simone Lucatello, and Maria Isabel Santos Lima10. Obstruction in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeLead authors: Kari De Pryck and Eduardo ViolaContributing authors: Stefan C. Aykut, Larissa Basso, Danielle Falzon, Matias Franchini, Friederike Hartz, Hannah Hughes, Vinicius Mendes, Carlos R. S. Milani, Bruna Bosi Moreira, Geraldine Pflieger, and Emanuel Semedo11. Obstructing Global and Local Climate Change AdaptationLead authors: Laura Kuhl and Stacy-ann RobinsonContributing authors: Natalie Dietrich Jones, Danielle Falzon, Andrew Malmuth, Michael Mikulewicz, Meg Mills-Novoa, Michelle Mycoo, Meg Parsons, M. Feisal Rahman, Kimberley Anh Thomas, E. Lisa F. Schipper, and Edward Walker12. Legal and State Efforts to Address Climate ObstructionLead authors: Grace Nosek, Joana Setzer, and Benjamin FrantaContributing authors: Alyssa Johl, Lisa Benjamin, Sharon Yadin, William W. Buzbee, and Aria Kovalovich 13. Confronting Climate Obstruction: The Role of Civil Society and Non-State ActorsLead authors: Jennie C. Stephens and Sharon Yadin Contributing authors: Laurence L. Delina, Louise M. Fitzgerald, Francisco Garcia-Gibson, Fergus Green, Noel Healy, David J. Hess, Tariro Kamuti, Cristiana Losekann, David Michaels, Sonja Solomun, and Robin TschoetschelIndex
