The organisation of denial: Conservative think tanks and environmental scepticism

    Authors

    P. J. Jacques; R. E. Dunlap;M. Freeman

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Environ. Polit.

    Keywords

    CLIMATE-CHANGE POLICY; UNITED-STATES; MOVEMENTS; POLITICS; SCIENCE; Environmental Studies; Political Science

    Abstract

    Environmental scepticism denies the seriousness of environmental problems, and self-professed 'sceptics' claim to be unbiased analysts combating 'junk science'. This study quantitatively analyses 141 English-language environmentally sceptical books published between 1972 and 2005. We find that over 92 per cent of these books, most published in the US since 1992, are linked to conservative think tanks (CTTs). Further, we analyse CTTs involved with environmental issues and find that 90 per cent of them espouse environmental scepticism. We conclude that scepticism is a tactic of an elite-driven counter-movement designed to combat environmentalism, and that the successful use of this tactic has contributed to the weakening of US commitment to environmental protection.

    Journal Title

    Environmental Politics

    Volume

    17

    Issue/Number

    3

    Publication Date

    1-1-2008

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    349

    Last Page

    385

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000257021100001

    ISSN

    0964-4016

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