A stronghold of climate change denialism in Germany: case study of the output and press representation of the Think Tank EIKE

Abstract

Climate change denialist think tanks have played a major role in climate obstructionism in the United States, and we are beginning to learn that there are also certain European think tanks acting in line with their U.S. counterparts. In the case of Germany, although the most relevant climate think tanks are aligned with the scientific consensus, one denialist stronghold is represented by the Europäisches Institut für Klima und Energie (EIKE). This research examines the communication frames that have been used by the think tank to build up a discourse of climate denial and delay, among which the attack on climate science stands out. In addition, this article analyzes press mentions of EIKE, concluding that the think tank’s ideas have been critically received by the press. The urgency to act to mitigate the climate crisis makes it necessary to identify obstructionist actors and discourses to counteract them in the media sphere.