Version 1
: Received: 3 September 2024 / Approved: 4 September 2024 / Online: 5 September 2024 (04:53:30 CEST)
How to cite:
Troumbis, A. Y. Did the COVID-19 Crisis Reframe Public Awareness of Environmental Topics as Humanity’s Existential Risks? A Case from the UK. Preprints2024, 2024090331. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0331.v1
Troumbis, A. Y. Did the COVID-19 Crisis Reframe Public Awareness of Environmental Topics as Humanity’s Existential Risks? A Case from the UK. Preprints 2024, 2024090331. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0331.v1
Troumbis, A. Y. Did the COVID-19 Crisis Reframe Public Awareness of Environmental Topics as Humanity’s Existential Risks? A Case from the UK. Preprints2024, 2024090331. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0331.v1
APA Style
Troumbis, A. Y. (2024). Did the COVID-19 Crisis Reframe Public Awareness of Environmental Topics as Humanity’s Existential Risks? A Case from the UK. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0331.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Troumbis, A. Y. 2024 "Did the COVID-19 Crisis Reframe Public Awareness of Environmental Topics as Humanity’s Existential Risks? A Case from the UK" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0331.v1
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has not just gently nudged but forcefully thrust environmental issues into the forefront of public consciousness. This shift in awareness has been a long-time aspiration of conservation scientists, who have played a crucial role in advocating for recognizing nature’s contributions to human life and a healthy environment. We explain the advantages of using newly available tools and sources of digital data, i.e., the Absolute Search Volume in Google per flag keywords, i.e., biodiversity, climate change, and sustainability, and The GDELT Project that monitors the world's broadcast, print, and web news, as well as the Difference-in-Difference method comparing paired samples of public interest before and after the pandemic outbreak. We focus on the case of UK citizens’ public interest. Public interest in the flag keywords in the UK shows a highly significant increase during the pandemic. Results contradict hypotheses or findings presented elsewhere that the public interest is attenuated during -and because- the public health crisis. We support growing public awareness of the existential risks springing from human materialism misappropriating nature, environment, and resources. In conclusion, we advocate for a ‘new conservation narrative’ that could be fostered by the increased public interest in environmental topics during the pandemic.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
