Public representations of scientific uncertainty about global climate change
Abstract
This paper addresses the representation of scientific uncertainty about global warming and climate change in the U.S. popular press. An examination of popular press articles about global warming from 1986 to 1995 reveals that scientific uncertainty was a salient theme. The paper describes several forms of uncertainty construction and means through which it was managed. I argue that scientific uncertainty was used to help construct an exclusionary boundary between “the public” and climate change scientists. This rhetorical boundary delegitimated lay knowledge by suggesting that the public did not hold appropriate reverence for scientific uncertainty and the need for more research.
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Prior research has identified the four uncertainty types in real-world public science communication.
“prior research has identified these types in real-world public science communication (Antilla, 2005;Rice et al., 2018;Zehr, 2000).”
From A review of the effects of uncertainty in public science communication (2020) · cites this paper as Zehr, 2000
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Antilla, L. (2005) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2005.08.003 · Cited by 511 · see citing works
A review of the effects of uncertainty in public science communication
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Gustafson, A., & Rice, R. E. (2019) · Science Communication · doi:10.1177/1075547019870811 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
How Grammatical Choice Shapes Media Representations of Climate (Un)certainty
Bailey, A., Giangola, L., & Boykoff, M. T. (2014) · Environmental Communication · doi:10.1080/17524032.2014.906481 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Lehmkuhl, M., & Peters, H. P. (2016) · Public Understanding of Science · doi:10.1177/0963662516646047 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Rice, R. E., Gustafson, A., & Hoffman, Z. (2018) · Environmental Communication · doi:10.1080/17524032.2018.1430046 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
- Authors
- Zehr, S. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Southern Indiana (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zehr, Stephen C.
- ORCID
- Zehr, Stephen C.
- Venue
- Public Understanding of Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2000-04
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 85-103
- ISSN
- 0963-6625 (ISSN-L)
- 1361-6609
- OpenAlex
- W2147920703
- Cited by
- 370
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 8.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Public Understanding of Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Rhetoric and Communication Studies
- Keywords
- scientific uncertainty, global warming, climate change, popular press, media representation of science, lay knowledge, delegitimization, science communication
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