Climate Change as a Constructed or Perceived Risk: Analysis of the Theoretical Production by J. Hannigan and O. Renn in an Environmental Sociology Debate

Abstract

In the contemporary world, the perspective present in the Sociology of Risk has been increasing in an environment where understanding the world sets up to being aware of the risks surrounding us and guide our actions. This risk is an "immanent tendency of globalization," says Giddens. Globalization was a phenomenon able to reshape our space-time perception, “leading us closer” to more distant places through the revolutions of information technology, also serving as a mean to “approach” risks, globalizing them. In this light, we propose to deal with such a globalized risks, specifically climate change related to environmental issues. This issue, widely discussed in the arena of science and public policy, reorient practices and worldviews. However, we know that the existence of the risk of climate change is built upon its "social construction" as believes J. Hannigan, or its "perception" from the prospect of O. Renn. In this paper, we propose a theoretical debate between Hannigan and Renn texts about the risks present in the environmental debate about climate change and how they are built or perceived by society, as well as results in direct effects on the population's actions in general or in creating public policies on the subject. We aim thus to both analyze  and compare them, providing elements to enrich the theoretical debate about the Sociologyof Risk, associated with the emergence of the environmental debate.