Dealing with information about complex issues : the role of source perceptions

This thesis focuses on how the way people deal with information about complex issues depends of their perceptions of sources that provide the relevant information. The complex issue under consideration throughout this thesis is that of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). In short, CCS involves the capture of carbon dioxide in power plants, the transportation of the carbon dioxide to underground storage sites (e.g., depleted gas fields), and its subsequent storage in these sites. Overall, the current thesis shows that in order for communication about complex issues to be effective, relevant information sources need to be trusted. When trust in information sources is lacking, people’s information selection and their information evaluations are affected in a negative way, with detrimental consequences for the impressions of the issue people form. Additionally, the present work demonstrated the surplus value of having divergent sources provide information in collaboration, instead of separately. Findings are discusses in terms of their theoretical value for the literature on communication, and in terms of their applied value for designers of information campaigns

Community compensation in the context of Carbon Capture and Storage: Current debates and practices

Societal opposition has the potential to slow down the implementation of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). One of the difficulties is that the perceived benefits associated with a CCS facility for local communities tend to be low compared to its perceived burdens. As is the case for other low carbon technologies, community compensation (or community benefits) has been suggested as a way to restore this perceived imbalance. A diverse literature has looked into the role of community compensation across various land uses and research fields. Synthesis is limited, while at the same time, the provision of community compensation in practice is moving from an ad hoc to a more institutionalized approach. Therefore, it is important to take stock of the literature. This paper provides a review of the community compensation literature in the form of four debates, drawing together environmental social science research on different low carbon technologies (e.g. CCS, renewable energy). In addition, current practices in community compensation for four European countries are discussed. The two parts of this paper are brought together in a set of lessons for the provision of community compensation for future CCS projects; in turn, suggestions for further research are made to address remaining knowledge gaps

Can Monetary Compensation Ease the Siting of CCS Projects?

AbstractIn a recent article in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, Zaal et al. [1] presented the results of three experimental studies conducted to systematically examine the effectiveness of the offering of monetary compensation (i.e., the offering of cash to a local community) in the context of the siting of hazardous facilities. The current conference paper highlights the main results of this research and discusses the relevance of these findings for the specific context of CCS

Media Coverage of Carbon Capture and Storage: An Analysis of Established and Emerging Themes in Dutch National Newspapers

Policymakers in several European countries are considering the implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as part of a strategy to prevent further climate change. Successful CCS implementation requires societal support but planned CCS projects have encountered significant opposition. In this study, we examine the CCS coverage in Dutch national newspapers from 2017 to 2019, a period during which the Dutch CCS landscape underwent several substantial changes, and compare the results to those of earlier media analyses conducted between 1991 and 2011. Most of the 324 articles identified discussed CCS in a neutral (36.4%) or balanced (24.4%) manner, and more critical articles than supportive ones were found (23.1% vs. 16.0%). Consistent with the earlier media analyses, the potential of CCS to reduce carbon dioxide emissions was a major theme in the positive portrayal of CCS, while the argument that CCS implementation is needed for the prompt reduction in emissions gained prominence. High CCS deployment costs and the perception that CCS is an unproven technology have remained major themes in the negative portrayal of CCS. The availability of and preference for alternative solutions was a more prominent theme in the conversation compared to earlier years, whereas the subject of CCS safety was discussed less than before. The study illustrates how media coverage can shed light on the evolving relationships between society and CCS, and on the established and emerging themes in arguments used for and against the technology

Facilitation of attitude formation through communication: how perceived source expertise enhances the ability to achieve cognitive closure about complex environmental topics

Social decision makin