(
2014-04)
Kelly, Ryan P.; Cooley, Sarah R.; Klinger, Terrie
Even when environmental data quantify the risks and benefits of delayed responses to rapid
anthropogenic change, institutions rarely respond promptly. We propose that narratives
complementing environmental datasets can motivate responsive environmental policy. To explore
this idea, we relate a case study in which a narrative of economic loss due to regionally rapid ocean
acidification—an anthropogenic change—helped connect knowledge with action. We pose three
hypotheses to explain why narratives might be particularly effective in linking science to
environmental policy, drawing from the literature of economics, environmental policy, and
cognitive psychology. It seems that yet-untold narratives may hold similar potential for
strengthening the feedback between environmental data and policy and motivating regional
responses to other environmental problems.
