TY - JOUR
T1 - Media discourses of low carbon housing
T2 - The marginalisation of social and behavioural dimensions within the British broadsheet press
AU - Cherry, C.
AU - Hopfe, C.
AU - MacGillivray, B.
AU - Pidgeon, N.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Decarbonising housing is a key UK government policy to mitigate climate change. Using discourse analysis, we assess how low carbon housing is portrayed within British broadsheet media. Three distinct storylines were identified. Dominating the discourse, Zero carbon housing promotes new-build, low carbon houses as offering high technology solutions to the climate problem. Retrofitting homes emphasises the need to reduce emissions within existing housing, tackling both climate change and rising fuel prices. A more marginal discourse, Sustainable living, frames low carbon houses as related to individual identities and ‘off-grid’ or greener lifestyles. Our analysis demonstrates that technical and economic paradigms dominate media discourse on low carbon housing, marginalising social and behavioural aspects.
AB - Decarbonising housing is a key UK government policy to mitigate climate change. Using discourse analysis, we assess how low carbon housing is portrayed within British broadsheet media. Three distinct storylines were identified. Dominating the discourse, Zero carbon housing promotes new-build, low carbon houses as offering high technology solutions to the climate problem. Retrofitting homes emphasises the need to reduce emissions within existing housing, tackling both climate change and rising fuel prices. A more marginal discourse, Sustainable living, frames low carbon houses as related to individual identities and ‘off-grid’ or greener lifestyles. Our analysis demonstrates that technical and economic paradigms dominate media discourse on low carbon housing, marginalising social and behavioural aspects.
KW - Climate change
KW - Discourses
KW - Low carbon housing
KW - Media representations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84926375301&partnerID=MN8TOARS
U2 - 10.1177/0963662513512442
DO - 10.1177/0963662513512442
M3 - Article
C2 - 24336448
SN - 1361-6609
VL - 24
SP - 302
EP - 310
JO - Public Understanding of Science
JF - Public Understanding of Science
IS - 3
ER -