Resistance to Climate Crisis Metaphors

This book offers an in-depth exploration of public resistance to metaphor in climate crisis discourse.

While the role of metaphor has been examined in climate change discourse previously, researchers have grappled with the limitations of existing studies, expanding their area of foci toward analyzing responses to pre-existing metaphors in public discourse. Metaphors in climate crisis discourse can shape a partial-subjective image, one leading to public misunderstanding, confusion, and skepticism around mitigation strategies. Auge considers how these dynamics of metaphor resistance can be observed across different forms of international public discourse, including political, scientific, activist, artistic, and commercial discourses. Data is taken from communications from such sources as international NGOs, global companies, and international political summits, as well as online media discourse, such as social media, blogs, and online forums. Taken together, the book provides detailed analyses into the range of resistance strategies adopted by the public around climate crisis discourse, prompting further research into specific characteristics triggering public backlash or endorsement.

This volume will be of interest to scholars in discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and cognitive linguistics, as well as related fields such as political science, development studies, and environmental studies.