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Metaphors We Die By? Geoengineering, Metaphors, and the Argument From Catastrophe

Nerlich, Brigitte; Jaspal, Rusi

Authors

Brigitte Nerlich

Rusi Jaspal



Abstract

Geoeengineering the climate by reflecting sunlight or extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has attracted increasing attention from natural scientists, social scientists, policy makers and the media. This article examines promotional discourse related to geoengineering from the 1980s to 2010. It asks in particular how this option for dealing with the problems posed by climate change were framed through the use of conceptual and discourse metaphors and whether one can argue that these are metaphors we ‘live by’ or metaphors we might ‘die by’. Findings show that an overarching argument from catastrophe was bolstered by three conceptual master-metaphors, namely The Planet is a body, The Planet is a machine and The planet is a patient/addict, linked to a variety of discourse metaphors, older conceptual metaphors and clichés. This metaphorical landscape began to shift while the article was being written and will have to be closely monitored in the future.

Citation

Nerlich, B., & Jaspal, R. (2012). Metaphors We Die By? Geoengineering, Metaphors, and the Argument From Catastrophe. Metaphor and Symbol, 27(2), 131-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2012.665795

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Apr 12, 2012
Publication Date 2012-04
Deposit Date Sep 27, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Metaphor and Symbol
Print ISSN 1092-6488
Electronic ISSN 1532-7868
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 27
Issue 2
Pages 131-147
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2012.665795
Keywords Linguistics and Language; Experimental and Cognitive Psychology; Communication
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1009013
Publisher URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926488.2012.665795
Additional Information This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Metaphor and Symbol on 12/04/2012, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10926488.2012.665795

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