Language, we were taught at university, is constantly evolving, constantly in flux, as speakers attach new meanings to existing words and phrases to reflect a reality equally in flux or invent new words and phrases in response to new phenomena.
Narratives, being made up of words, are also constantly evolving and nowhere is this more evident than in the climate change narrative. The climate narrative has demonstrated remarkable flexibility, especially in recent months, as its material foundations, never particularly sturdy to begin with, started crumbling at accelerated rates.
One fresh example comes from the United States, where the wind and solar industries are in disarray following the Trump administration’s offensive against weather-dependent, intermittent energy generation that also destroys wildlife.
The tune that wind and solar are better for the planet and the climate, whatever that means, has been exhausted, so the singers are changing it. Now, focus is on energy security in the age of data centres.
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