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One of the troubling aspects of climate change seems to be associated with the overproduction of studies, papers, study-cases, books and PhD thesis, but at the same time, governments failed to reach a global consensus to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. To some extent, the particular interests of nation-state outweigh the needs of sharing efforts in mitigating the effects of climate change. It is equally important not to lose the sight of the fact that the real causes of climate change still are in a discrepancy. Deniers, to set an example, reject the idea that human intervention is responsible for the global warming, while environmentalists place into question the role of capitalism and economic growth toward sustainability (Clapp and Dauvergne, 2011).
This context opens the doors for books such as Climate Change and Storytelling, which interrogate on the discursivity of climate change as well as its effects on the communicative process. Annika Arnold, Faculty Staff at the University of Stuttgart, who needs to say, is the author of this valuable book, starts from the premise the worldviews are cognitively organized according to the biography of the subject, which intersected with a specific culture. From a qualitative method, Arnold explores the opinion of experts and involved staff worried by the climate in the USA and Germany. Her main goal consists of calibrating a coherent understanding of the role of culture and communication in the perception of climate change. In the introductory chapter, she holds that far from being a guidebook of practical recommendations respecting what ought to be done, the book reflects the structure and dynamics of storytelling.
The second chapter offers selected views and positions, which come from authoritative voices of social science regarding climate change. With a focus on risk perception, Arnold interrogates on how people perceive and finally react to the danger of climate change. She reveals—like the paradox of Commons—that while people may perceive risks, they often do nothing to change their behaviors, believing they shall never reach or at the least because of the lack of concrete aftermaths for daily life. What is more important, the knowledge on climate change is principally disseminated by the mass media. This creates a gap between popular opinion and experts....