Climate Scientists as Rhetorical Citizens: Public Argumentation in Persuasive Op-Eds

Abstract

What persuasive strategies should scientists use when performing rhetorical citizenship in our post-truth, hyper-partisan times? To understand what appeals can be employed by experts seeking to change the minds of opposition audiences in the public sphere, we examine opinion editorials by climate scientists published in “red state” newspapers, that is, regions of the United States that are majority Republican, a political party whose leaders continue to question the reality, cause, and/or significance of global warming.