The Language of Climate Politics

An examination of the propaganda justifying the fossil-fuel economy, The Language of Climate Politics offers readers powerful new ways to talk about the climate crisis that will help create transformative change.With incisive rhetorical analysis, Dr. Genevieve Guenther shows that the climate debate is not, in fact, neatly polarized—with Republicans obstructing climate action and Democrats advancing climate solutions. Partisans on the right and the left often repeat the same fossil-fuel talking points, and this repetition produces a centrist consensus upholding the status quo, even as global heating accelerates.Weaving this analysis through fascinating critical histories of the terms that dominate the language of climate politics—we, alarmist, cost, growth, "India and China," innovation, and resilience—Dr. Guenther shows how this consensus is established. Fossil-fuel interests weaponize the discourses of science, economics, and activism, co-opting and twisting words to help greenwash their plans for ongoing extraction. But all too often climate scientists, economists, and even advocates will unwittingly echo the false and dangerous assumptions of their supposed political opponents. This apparent agreement between foes, filtered through the news media, not only influences our common-sense yet mistaken views about the climate crisis but also enables powerful decisionmakers to justify the corporate and policy actions that threaten us all.Not merely analytical, The Language of Climate Politics is ultimately an inspiring call to arms—a book that equips readers with powerful new terms that will enable them to fight more effectively for a livable future.