UK public perceptions of Ocean Acidification – The importance of place and environmental identity

Spence, Elspeth; Pidgeon, Nick; Pearson, Paul Nicholas

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2018.04.006

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…This might be due to its remoteness, and by it being out of sight and mind. The low knowledge level confirms Rose et al (2008), Jefferson et al (2014), and Spence et al (2018) who provide evidence across various knowledge dimensions toward the marine environment. It is also evident that direct and indirect exposure to the sea has the potential to increase marine life knowledge level as identified by the difference between Scottish and Norwegian public.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Public Perceptions of Deep-Sea Environment: Evidence From Scotland and Norway

Ankamah‐Yeboah

Xuan²,

Hynes

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Knowledge of people's understanding of environmental problems is vital for the effective implementation of the ecosystem approach to marine management. This is especially relevant when conservation goals are aimed at ecosystems in the deep-sea that are remote to the consciousness of most people. This study explores public perceptions of the deep-sea environment among the Scottish and Norwegian public. It further analyses the relationships between respondents' pro-environmental concerns toward the marine environment and personal characteristics using a multiple indicators multiple causes model. The results show that public knowledge of the deep-sea environment is low for Scottish and moderate for Norwegians. Awareness of cold-water corals was high for the Lofoten case study area amongst the Norwegian public and low for the Mingulay reef complex in the Scottish case. These differences might arise because Norway is known to host the world's largest cold-water corals in the Lofoten area; a fact that has been well-publicized. We find that most people think changes in the deep-sea have at least some effect on them. On average, the public perceive the deep-sea condition to be at most "fairly good" but are dissatisfied with the management of it with approximately only one third or less thinking it is well-managed. Generally, the public perception from both countries show ecocentric attitudes toward the marine environment implying that they recognize the value of ecosystem services, the current ecological crisis and the need for sustainable management.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Public Perceptions of Deep-Sea Environment: Evidence From Scotland and Norway

Ankamah‐Yeboah

Xuan²,

Hynes

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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show abstract

“…Comparable with previous surveys (Eddy, 2014; Meyer & Mott, 2014; Spence, Pidgeon & Pearson, 2018; Cooke & Kim, 2019), pre‐test respondents’ ( N = 275) awareness about OA in this study was significantly lower than their awareness of marine ecosystems/threats. Their awareness of marine policies was even lower still than that of OA.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Even an expectedly well‐informed sample of undergraduate science students demonstrated low awareness and understanding of OA (Danielson & Tanner, 2015). Surveys in the UK and other European countries also reported low awareness about OA and its causes (Chilvers et al, 2014; Gelcich et al, 2014; Capstick et al, 2016; Buckley et al, 2017; E. Spence, Pidgeon & Pearson, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating complex ocean issues: How strategically framed messages affect awareness and motivation when conveyed using narrative vs. expository language

Kolandai-Matchett

Armoudian

2020

Aquatic Conservation

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Considering the nascent stage of marine conservation communication, little is understood about how best to communicate complex issues, such as ocean acidification (OA), that are remote and invisible. Despite accumulating evidence of OA’s adverse effects on marine ecosystems and biota and subsequent consequences for human societies, it remains obscure to a majority of the public. This study compared two language styles (narrative and expository) to determine which was more effective for communicating OA to diverse audiences. The two language styles were scripted and presented in YouTube videos, with identical visuals, message contents and message frames identified as potentially effective for environmental and marine conservation communication. In an online experiment, 183 respondents were randomly assigned to view one of three videos (narrative, expository, control). Although the literature suggested the value of narrative‐based conservation communication, findings suggest that expository language was comparably effective for increasing awareness and motivation. Nevertheless, there were some indications that story‐like narratives may better enhance motivation. This study also strengthens the argument for careful selection of frames to enhance the effectiveness of marine conservation communication.

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“…ERW would add alkalinity to oceans; at present, the ecosystem impacts of this are poorly understood, although in theory it could benefit coral reef and coastal areas by reducing ocean acidification (Renforth and Henderson, 2017). Ocean acidification could in theory fall under the remit of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process for reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, although it has never been officially discussed in negotiations, and only appears specifically in the NDCs of 14 small island states (Spence et al, 2018). Legislative action on ocean acidification has been taken in the US by Maine and Washington State because of impacts to coastal fisheries (Cooley et al, 2016).…”

Section: Oceansmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, it is important to remember that policies -particularly in democratic countries -are influenced by public attitudes. Research demonstrates that people consider oceans to be a particularly precious environment in terms of emotional connection and perceived 'naturalness' (Spence et al, 2018), and that offshore CO2 storage could be an issue for public contestation (Mabon et al, 2014). Thus, it should not be assumed that utilising offshore sites will circumvent public concerns regarding CCS, and policy (particularly in terms of licensing and regulation) needs to be mindful of potential barriers to deployment at local and possibly national levels.…”

Section: Oceansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond carbon pricing: policy levers for negative emissions technologies

Cox

Edwards

2019

Climate Policy

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This paper explores policies for Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs), in an attempt to move beyond the supply-side focus of the majority of NETs research, as well as the current dominance of carbon pricing as the main NETs policy proposal. The paper identifies a number of existing policies from four key areasenergy/transport, agriculture, subsoil , and oceans-which will have an impact on three NETs: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), and terrestrial Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW). We propose that non-climate co-benefits may be valuable in terms of the policy 'demand pull' for NETs; in particular, we find that ERW may provide multiple co-benefits which can be mandated through existing policy structures. However, interaction with numerous policy areas may also create barriers, particularly where there is tension between the priorities of different government departments. On the basis of existing and analogous policies from a range of geographical contexts and scales, this paper proposes four options for NETs policy that could be reasonably implemented in the near-term. We also argue that ERW demonstrates the importance of scale and framing, because the policy environment depends on whether it is framed as a soil amendment at local scales or as a climate stabilisation technique at international scale. Key policy insights • Co-benefits may assist the 'demand pull' for novel technologies by providing multiple policy angles for incentivisation rather than relying on a 'fix-all' policy such as a high carbon price. • DAC with storage might be overly reliant on a high carbon price, because it only provides one core benefit-that of atmospheric carbon reduction. • ERW may provide multiple co-benefits which can be mandated through existing policy structures, but should focus on using waste rock rather than mining virgin material. • We propose four near-term options for NETs policy: funding for small-scale BECCS demonstration and an international biomass certification mechanism; small-scale loans for ERW on farms and promotion of locally-sourced rock residues; amendment of fertiliser subsidy schemes to include silicate rock; and a clearer framework for licensing subsoil access for CO2 storage.

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UK public perceptions of Ocean Acidification – The importance of place and environmental identity

Cited by 18 publications

References 59 publications

Public Perceptions of Deep-Sea Environment: Evidence From Scotland and Norway

Public Perceptions of Deep-Sea Environment: Evidence From Scotland and Norway

Communicating complex ocean issues: How strategically framed messages affect awareness and motivation when conveyed using narrative vs. expository language

Beyond carbon pricing: policy levers for negative emissions technologies

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