Author:

Keywords:

C14/18/034#54689580, Facebook comments, climate posts, Flemish political parties, appraisal

Abstract:

This study investigates Facebook comments on climate posts by Flemish political parties. Its aim is to describe explicit and implicit evaluations that citizens make about these climate policies and the actors involved in the policy-making process. To gain insight into the emotions and opinions that dominate the climate debate in Flanders, we used the system of Appraisal (Martin & White, 2005), which provides a framework for interpreting expressions of attitude as a social tool to engage with others. The study found that the online climate debate is characterised by a high degree of negativity. Commentators who favour climate action voice frustration and desperation about politicians’ lack of resolve or the ineffectiveness and misguidedness of their policies. On the other hand, many other commentators expressed outright hostility to climate action in general: while not (necessarily) denying climate change, these commentators tend to play down the urgency of the climate crisis and reject many proposed measures. We interpret this second trend as indicative of a new ‘softer’ form of climate scepticism that seeks to cast doubt on the effectiveness and earnestness of proposed solutions.