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Date Permissions Signed

5-15-2022

Date of Award

Spring 2022

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Paci-Green, Rebekah

Second Advisor

Neff, Mark W.

Third Advisor

Whitley, Cameron T.

Abstract

As the effects of climate change become more severe, many environmentalists push for federal climate policy to limit greenhouse gas emissions. However, no federal climate policy has amassed enough support to pass, largely because of America’s contentious political climate. White evangelical Christians, who are often Republican, trend toward climate change skepticism and climate policy opposition. They comprise 25% of voters in the United States (National Election Pool, 2016). Therefore, climate policies must have bipartisan appeal to pass. Policy makers may generate bipartisan appeal through creative framing of climate policy that emphasizes more than just the environmental benefits of climate change mitigation. In this study, I interviewed 25 evangelical Christians in Arkansas to better understand their beliefs about climate change and policy. I tested four frames of a renewable energy policy that centered on Christian stewardship, national security, economic opportunity, and recreation. Results from the study found evangelical Christians attributed climate change to a wide number of sources: humans, natural causes, God’s will, and a mix of these. Many participants had moderate to high support for renewable energy policy; for some, support did change with policy frames. Results revealed that evangelical Christians’ climate policy concerns are often rational, nuanced, and reflect concerns of other groups. The study suggested that believing human activities are the overwhelming or exclusive cause of climate change may not be a necessary precondition for evangelical Christian support of climate policy. Yet political allegiances, cultural norms, and theology limit evangelicals’ political support for climate policy and the politicians promoting it. These results suggest that increased evangelical support for climate policy may be possible through better policy framing and allyship between environmentalists and evangelicals.

Type

Text

Keywords

climate policy, evangelical Christianity, policy framing

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1322096949

Subject – LCSH

Evangelistic work--Arkansas River Valley; Climatic changes--Government policy; Christians--Arkansas River Valley; Climatic changes--Religious aspects

Geographic Coverage

Arkansas River Valley

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

Academic theses; Demographic surveys

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

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