Wind Energy in US Media: A Comparative State-Level Analysis of a Critical Climate Change Mitigation Technology

Stephens, Jennie C.; Rand, Graham K.; Melnick, Leah L.

doi:10.1080/17524030902916640

Cited by 86 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Both supporting and opposing actors made offshore wind energy technology comprehensible by employing arguments related to economic, environmental and moral issues. Surprisingly -and contrary to previous findings (e.g., Wolsink, 2000;Kuehn, 2005;Thompson, 2005;Stephens et al, 2009) -visual aspects played a minor role in the controversy.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 54%

Out of Sight, out of Mind? Controversy over Offshore Wind Energy in Norway's News Media

Heidenreich

2016

Science as Culture

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News media are important reference points for public sense-making of emerging technology.In Norway, offshore wind can be considered an emerging technology. Siting renewable energy technology offshore is commonly regarded as a solution to onshore implementation problems, as development happens 'out of sight, out of mind' of the public. However, does moving renewable energy technology offshore really prevent controversy? How is emerging offshore wind technology made comprehensible in Norwegian news media? The dominance of supporting actors and arguments in the Norwegian news media discourse on offshore wind energy technology and the high prevalence of the argument that offshore wind should be noncontroversial due to its placement 'out of sight' suggest that the expectation that such technology will prevent controversy has been partly met. Still, the emerging technology has been accompanied by an evolving controversy, though with a different extent and focus than the controversy over onshore wind. Both supporting and opposing actors have made offshore wind energy technology comprehensible by employing economic, environmental and moral arguments. Economics has appeared as a privileged frame of interpretation used by both supporters and opponents. Environmental arguments have shifted their focus to biodiversity and global aspects such as sustainability and climate change, and lost their dominance relative to their role in onshore controversies.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 54%

Out of Sight, out of Mind? Controversy over Offshore Wind Energy in Norway's News Media

Heidenreich

2016

Science as Culture

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“…The empirical structure of SPEED allows for the measurement of media coverage of these social systems to determine emphasis placed on these systems during various stages of energy technology deployment. To date, this framework has been used to conduct media analyses on emergent and establishing energy technologies such as wind [24,25] and CCS [26]. In later writings, Luhmann even includes the mass media as a social system unto itself because of its impact on the construction of reality [27].…”

Section: Speed Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

News Media Analysis of Carbon Capture and Storage and Biomass: Perceptions and Possibilities

et al. 2015

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Abstract:In the US, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has received most of its attention when coupled with the fossil fuel industry as a mitigation strategy for climate change. CCS, which is constituted as a broad suite of capture and sequestration technologies and techniques, does not preclude coupling with other energy industries such as bioenergy (bioenergy and CCS or BECCS). In this paper, we examined news media coverage of CCS and biomass individually in locations throughout the US where these technologies are being explored to determine how they are perceived and what possibilities lay in their coupling for climate change mitigation. From our analyses, we found that individually, both CCS and biomass are perceived generally as beneficial for energy development by the news media, though they are not often mentioned in combination. Combined references do, however, speak to their value for climate change mitigation and as an alternative to fossil fuels.

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“…In Stephens, Rand, and Melnick's [33] content analysis of newspaper coverage of wind energy in three states (Texas, Minnesota, and Massachusetts), they note the power of particular "frames" or narrative structures used to explicate these energy related stories, each which appeal to values of the specific place and culture. They recommend the deliberate use of "frames other than the environmental or climate change mitigation benefits of the technology" [33] (p. 186).…”

Section: Understand the Power Of Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Understand the Power Of Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They recommend the deliberate use of "frames other than the environmental or climate change mitigation benefits of the technology" [33] (p. 186). They go on to say that the frames used in communicating wind energy should be "responsive to the local and regional context of the place" [33] (p. 186). So when thinking about what terms, "frames", or language to use in crafting policy recommendations, it would be important to understand what is important to the people and in the specific culture of place where the decisionmaking is happening [34,35].…”

Section: Understand the Power Of Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communication Barriers and Lessons Learned in Energy Policy

Smith

Gilbert

2018

Sustainability

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Abstract:In the past 30 years, energy researchers have concluded their academic publication with sections that deal directly with policy implications and recommendations. Yet too often, these recommendations are written with little understanding of how policymakers balance different needs, prefer to communicate, or use scientific information. In this manuscript, we outline key variables-time, training, and interpretation-that are key to understanding how to better communicate research implications to policymakers. We recommend emphasizing the power of language and the use of boundary objects in an attempt to mitigate the issues presented between researchers and policymakers.

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Wind Energy in US Media: A Comparative State-Level Analysis of a Critical Climate Change Mitigation Technology

Cited by 86 publications

References 37 publications

Out of Sight, out of Mind? Controversy over Offshore Wind Energy in Norway's News Media

Out of Sight, out of Mind? Controversy over Offshore Wind Energy in Norway's News Media

News Media Analysis of Carbon Capture and Storage and Biomass: Perceptions and Possibilities

Communication Barriers and Lessons Learned in Energy Policy

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