Polar bears and ice: cultural connotations of Arctic environments that contradict the science of climate change

Westerstahl Stenport, A. and Vachula, R. S. (2017) Polar bears and ice: cultural connotations of Arctic environments that contradict the science of climate change. Media, Culture & Society, 39 (2). pp. 282-295. ISSN 1460-3675 doi: 10.1177/0163443716655985

Abstract/Summary

In spite of overwhelming agreement between scientists and scientific agencies around the world that anthropogenic climate change is currently occurring, many American citizens and politicians alike continue to doubt its validity. In this article, we examine 21st-century media reporting and 20th-century cinematic examples that provide possible reasons for why this is the case, especially foregrounding Western cultural perceptions and connotations of the Arctic region, which have constructed an intellectual framework that resists scientific findings of anthropogenic forcing of climate change.