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Spreading the News on Carbon Capture and Storage: A State-Level Comparison of US Media

  • Andrea M. Feldpausch-Parker
  • , Chara J. Ragland
  • , Leah L. Melnick
  • , Rumika Chaudhry
  • , Damon M. Hall
  • , Tarla Peterson
  • , Jennie C. Stephens
  • , Elizabeth J. Wilson

Publication: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has received abundant federal support in the USA as an energy technology to mitigate climate change, yet its position within the energy system remains uncertain. Because media play a significant role in shaping public conversations about science and technology, we analyzed media portrayal of CCS in newspapers from four strategically selected states. We grounded the analysis in Luhmann's theory of social functions, operationalized through the socio-political evaluation of energy deployment (SPEED) framework. Coverage emphasized economic, political/legal, and technical functions and focused on benefits, rather than risks of adoption. Although news coverage connected CCS with climate change, the connection was constrained by political/legal functions. Media responses to this constraint indicate how communication across multiple social functions may influence deployment of energy technologies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)336-354
Number of pages19
JournalEnvironmental Communication
Volume7
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  2. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

  • anthropogenic climate change
  • energy
  • fossil fuels
  • technology diffusion

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