Summary:
This article introduces a typology of nine communication frames and analyzes how they operate in Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe (2021) and Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book (2022). The typology draws special attention to how non-fiction books are vehicles that can appeal for timely action (i.e. kairos), establish authorial ethos, disseminate climate science, and advocate for climate activism and energy transitions. The application of the typology highlights the books' narrative arcs: Gates and Thunberg both begin by acknowledging the reality and severity of the climate crisis and the correspondence between social progress and justice. Then, their arguments diverge: Thunberg critiques ineffective policies, cites climate science, and urges immediate social action; Gates provides economic context to support his appeals for innovation spurred by applied science. Towards their conclusions, the two authors' rhetorical appeals converge again as they each advocate for timely action. The results of this thematic analyses reinforce the value of book-length arguments that engage scientific evidence and envisage urgent individual and collective responses to climate crises.
Spanish layman's summary:
Este artículo presenta nueve marcos de comunicación y examina su uso en How to Avoid and Climate Disaster de Bill Gates y The Climate Book de Greta Thunberg. Explora cómo cada autor enmarca la crisis climática, diverge en sus soluciones y converge al abogar por una acción oportuna.
English layman's summary:
This article presents nine communication frames and examines their use in Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe and Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book. It explores how each author frames the climate crisis, diverges in their solutions, and converges in advocating for timely action.
Keywords: Communication; Framing; Climate crisis; Celebrity; Science; Energy transitions
JCR Impact Factor and WoS quartile: 6,900 - Q1 (2023)
DOI reference:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103747
Published on paper: December 2024.
Published on-line: September 2024.
Citation:
D.L. Wuebben, E. Wang, E. Gómez Domingo, J. Romero-Luis, Diverging paths, converging goals: Framing crisis to kairos in Bill Gates's and Greta Thunberg's climate discourse. Energy Research & Social Science. Vol. 118, pp. 103747-1 - 103747-12, December 2024. [Online: September 2024]
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