Is Twitter Indicating a Change in MP’s Views on Climate Change?

Ebrey, Rhian; Hall, Stephen; Willis, Rebecca

doi:10.3390/su122410334

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

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“…A recent analysis of the Twitter activity of MPs shows a sharp rise in mentions of climate, from an average of 1 mention per day, from the Twitter accounts of 577 MPs, up to 7.8 mentions per day in May 2019, peaking with 160 tweets on 1 May, when the UK Parliament declared a climate emergency (Ebrey, 2019). There have also been marked shifts observed in public opinion polling on climate (Barasi, 2019).…”

Section: Conclusion: the Role Of National Politicians In Global Clima...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of national politicians in global climate governance

Willis

2019

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

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The scientific case for co-ordinated global governance of the climate system is firmly established, but how does this fit with a politician’s mandate as a democratically elected representative? What role do national politicians think they can and should play in climate governance? This paper tests these questions empirically, using data from interviews with 23 Members of the UK Parliament, and a focus group of civil society advocates, conducted between 2016 and 2018. A global goal to limit climate change has been agreed through the 2015 Paris Agreement. Yet while the Agreement sets a clear goal, the means to achieve it remain firmly at the level of the nation-state, with each country assuming responsibility for its own national plan. Thus national administrations, run by elected politicians, have a crucial role to play. This study shows that, while Members of the UK Parliament have an understanding of the challenges posed by climate change and wider changes to earth systems, few have yet been able to operationalise this understanding into meaningful responses at the national level. The study highlights two, linked, reasons for this. First, politicians’ ability to act – their agency – is limited by the practicalities and procedures of everyday politics, and by the norms and cultures of their working life. Second, UK politicians feel little pressure from their electors to act on climate change, and have to work to justify why action on climate change carries democratic legitimacy. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this research, in the light of the recent high-profile climate protests and declarations of a ‘climate emergency’. It argues that politicians, working with other stakeholders, need support in order to articulate the scale and significance of global climate governance, and craft responses which build democratic support for further action.

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Section: Conclusion: the Role Of National Politicians In Global Clima...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of national politicians in global climate governance

Willis

2019

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

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Politicians and climate change: A systematic review of the literature

Moore,

Geese,

Kenny

et al. 2024

WIREs Climate Change

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Politicians' engagement with climate change is the focus of an emerging literature, but this research has not been subjected to systematic analysis. To address this important gap, we perform a systematic review of 141 articles on politicians and climate change published between 1985 and 2021. We find a growing research area; almost half of the articles were published after 2018. Existing research is fragmented and focused on a small number of democracies in the Global North, with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway and Australia being the most‐heavily studied. Substantively, we analyze politicians' motivations, the incentives and barriers they face, and the strategies they employ to block/enable climate action. We find evidence of politicians being both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivations often derive from formative experiences occurring prior to entering politics. Extrinsic motivations most commonly include publics/voters and external events. Importantly, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations vary in different political contexts, and indeed these two motivations may pull politicians in different directions. Politicians may employ various strategies—such as reframing—to achieve their desired policy outcomes. Moreover, politicians' motivations and strategies in relation to climate change are not static, but often vary. We conclude that there is an urgent need for research on how politicians are enabled and/or constrained by political system characteristics. Research is especially called for in the Global South and/or less democratic systems, as well as on investigating how politicians are (not) decarbonizing difficult‐to‐abate sectors and how they reconcile the sometimes‐competing demands for climate change mitigation and adaptation.This article is categorized under: Policy and Governance > National Climate Change Policy Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance

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A feminist geopolitics of bullying discourses? White innocence and figure-effects of bullying in climate politics

Telford

2022

Gender, Place & Culture

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Is Twitter Indicating a Change in MP’s Views on Climate Change?

Cited by 6 publications

References 16 publications

The role of national politicians in global climate governance

The role of national politicians in global climate governance

Politicians and climate change: A systematic review of the literature

A feminist geopolitics of bullying discourses? White innocence and figure-effects of bullying in climate politics

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