Evaluating the Terms Americans Use to Refer to “Carbon Emissions”

ABSTRACT The effectiveness of climate change communication depends in part on how people perceive common terms used to describe key climate concepts. In a mixed methods study (N = 2859), we examined affect, top-of-mind associations, beliefs, policy support, and behavioral intentions elicited by terms communicators colloquially use to refer to the gases responsible for climate change: greenhouse gas emissions, carbon emissions, and carbon pollution. Open-ended responses revealed that, of the three terms, carbon pollution evoked more negative images of harm; carbon emissions evoked more negative images of pollution; and greenhouse gas emissions evoked more images of climate change. Respondents had generally stronger negative affect toward carbon emissions and carbon pollution than greenhouse gas emissions. Although Americans had similar beliefs about carbon emissions and carbon pollution, they linked both terms more strongly than greenhouse gas emissions to harms to human health and the environment and to poor air quality.