Stories of Decline: Narratives and Risk Framing of Glacier Retreat and Salmon in Washington, USA

Abstract

Climate change is threatening both glaciers and salmon in Washington with extinction, putting the state’s economy, culture, and ecosystems at risk. However, the overlapping climate crises are framed and understood differently throughout the state which affects policy and climate action. This study analyzed 115 media sources from four main stakeholder categories to determine a) which narratives of glacier retreat and salmon declines are the most prevalent; b) how perceived risks change among stakeholders and cause narratives to diverge; c) how these narratives are shaped by stakeholder identity, geographic location, knowledge sources, and time; and d) how narratives of overlapping climate emergencies differ from narratives of a single crisis. Key narratives were identified by creating a qualitative codebook that was applied using Dedoose, and the presence of narratives was analyzed across the categories to evaluate trends. The study found that, while a common narrative did exist, stakeholder identity, source of knowledge, time, and especially a source’s geographic location were all key factors in shaping narratives. It also found that narratives of overlapping climate emergencies were more likely to diverge than those of a single crisis and could be used to transform pessimistic climate narratives into actionable, hopeful narratives. As climate change worsens and causes more overlapping crises, understanding how climate narratives are created and shaped will become increasingly important for understanding stakeholder conflicts, effective climate campaigns, and how people view themselves within these crises.