| Description |
Climate change is predicted to have profound effects on ecosystems around the globe. Yet meaningful policy to address climate change has yet to be enacted, and American publics are perceived as disinterested and unconcerned about the issue. Public lands have the potential to act as valuable sites of climate change education and engagement to combat this lack of interest. Yosemite National Park, in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, is one example of a public lands site that is already being affected by climate change, and where climate change communication efforts are underway. So far, climate change has caused significant warming, precipitation changes, and habitat loss in the park. As a high-profile, heavily visited national park that is already experiencing climate change impacts, Yosemite is a valuable case study of climate change communication in a public lands setting. This thesis explores articulations of climate change among Yosemite's visitors, employees, and texts produced by the park. Using a combination of rhetorical fieldwork and close reading, it examines the blending of local and scientific knowledge and the use of diverse environmental discourses in the construction of arguments about climate change, highlighting the potential of public lands as productive contexts for climate change engagement. |
