UK media representations of Carbon Capture and Storage

Abstract

Nerlich, Brigitte and Jaspal, Rusi (2013) A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. AbstractCarbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a climate change mitigation technology which has had a rather chequered history in British policy making and in the British public sphere. This article deals with the neglected topic of representations of CCS in the British media and their possible impact on public perceptions and public policy. Public perception of CCS is shaped in part by the media which provide tools for making sense of complex technological and political issues such as CCS. This article compares articles on CCS in two UK newspapers, one national (The Times) and one regional (The Aberdeen Press and Journal) in 2011, a year during which some of the last battles over CCS demonstration projects were fought. It applies frame and metaphor analysis to a corpus of 150 articles. Findings reveal that during 2011 CCS coverage moved through a cycle of hype and disillusionment, with both newspapers reaching a trough of disappointment at the end of 2011. It will be difficult to reignite interest in CCS in this context, both in terms of media and public attention, and in terms of policy and investment. Regional confidence in national CCS policy in particular will be difficult to recover.

Fracking on YouTube: Exploring Risks, Benefits and Human Values

“…It found in 2012 that, in the UK, public opinion on the question is as yet unformed or highly uncertain and that 'overall, shale gas appears to be a fuel source over which the public has yet to make up its mind' (O'Hara et al, 2012: 10). Attitudes seem to be shifting towards more acceptance in 2013 O'Hara et al (2012) show that most of the British people surveyed in their research mention television news (and other audiovisual sources) as primary sources of information concerning fracking (and therefore as a way to 'make up their minds'). However, for those seeking additional information independent of any viewing schedule, YouTube videos may also be of importance, especially since a documentary film made in the United States, Gasland, became a focus for debate after 2010 and was also discussed in the traditional press (Jaspal and Nerlich, 2014b).…”

“…According to the theory, inappropriate levels of these 'identity principles' can result in identity threat. Identity threat, in turn, can result in a number of 'coping strategies', which often include deflection strategies and even political paralysis (Nerlich, 2010).…”

“…A survey-based report into public perceptions of fracking in the UK was carried out at the University of Nottingham in 2012 (O'Hara et al, 2012) and is repeated every six months. It found in 2012 that, in the UK, public opinion on the question is as yet unformed or highly uncertain and that 'overall, shale gas appears to be a fuel source over which the public has yet to make up its mind' (O'Hara et al, 2012: 10).…”

Fracking in the UK press: Threat dynamics in an unfolding debate

“…5 While in media reporting of carbon capture and storage, there is a focus on national pride in Britain's pioneering engagement with the technology (Nerlich & Jaspal, 2013), here Britain's slow engagement with fracking is constructed as an impediment to the well-being of the nation. This is especially important as, unlike carbon capture and storage, whose economic and scientific viability has not yet been demonstrated in Europe, fracking seems to show more immediate and "enormous potential as a source of energy for the future."…”

“…1 Novel fossil fuels are therefore being sought in a context where climate change mitigation technologies for CO 2 reduction, such as carbon capture and storage and geoengineering, are being discussed in the media , 2013. One of these novel sources of fossil fuel is shale gas that is extracted by induced hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."…”