Twelfth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

From the United States to Indonesia to Saudi Arabia, claims of climate denial have been widely observed. Climate denial refers to two types of rejection of scientific knowledge on the current climate change: some deniers wholly reject the fact that changes in the Earth’s climate have occurred since the late ninetieth century, while others concede this fact but deny the idea that these changes are caused by human activity. As dramatic setback in climate change policy under the Trump presidency eloquently illustrates, climate denial’s penetration of constituencies can give massive impacts on the government’s mitigation policy. It is thus of great importance to figure out the mechanism that lies behind such rhetoric. As regards climate denials found in the United States, it is frequently pointed out that major advocates in this camp include right-wing media, rightist think tanks, and conservative politicians financially backed up by coal and oil businesses. The similar appears to apply to denial positions in other societies as well. However, there exists a notable exception: Japan. In that country, climate denial warnings have been enthusiastically sounded by a number of scientists, as well as self-proclaimed scientists, and supported by a substantial portion of the general public. On the other hand, even conservative politicians seldom deny climate change and its anthropogenic causes, and a growing number of private companies have recently joined international business networks aiming zero emission. This paper seeks to examine what political, social, and cultural mechanisms work behind such a puzzling situation in contemporary Japan.