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References to climate change in popular culture have existed since the late 20th century and increased in the 21st century. Climate change, its impacts, and related human-environment interactions have been featured in nonfiction books and documentaries, but also literature, film, music, television shows and video games.
Science historian Naomi Oreskes noted in 2005 "a huge disconnect between what professional scientists have studied and learned in the last 30 years, and what is out there in the popular culture."[1] An academic study in 2000 contrasted the relatively rapid acceptance of ozone depletion as reflected in popular culture with the much slower acceptance of the scientific consensus on climate change.[2] Cultural responses have been posited as an important part of communicating climate change, but commentators have noted covering the topic has posed challenges due to its abstract nature.[3][4] The prominence of climate change in popular culture increased during the 2010s, influenced by the climate movement, shifts in public opinion and changes in media coverage.[5][6]
An important tool for evaluating the presence of climate change in popular culture is the Climate Reality Check. Like the Bechdel Test, it is a simple tool for evaluating climate change in any form of media, and consists of two conditions: "Climate change exists" in a narrative, and "a character knows it."[7] An analysis of 250 of the most popular fictional films released between 2013 and 2022 and set in the present, recent past, or future found that only 12.8% passed the first part of the Climate Reality Check, and 9.6% passed the second part.[8]
- ^ Doughton, Sandi (October 11, 2005). "The truth about global warming". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Sheldon Ungar, "Knowledge, ignorance and the popular culture: Climate change versus the ozone hole," Science 9.3 (2000) 297-312.
- ^ "Why the cultural response to global warming makes for a heated debate". The Independent. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
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:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Climate Reality Check". www.theclimaterealitycheck.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, Jerald Lim, Dominic Bellido, Moya Stringer, Adria Wilson, and Zoky Zhou. 2024. “Climate Reality On-Screen: The Climate Crisis in Popular Films, 2013–22.” The Buck Lab for Climate and Environment at Colby College and Good Energy.