Conceptualising Climate Emotions in Western Democracies: A Decolonial Approach to Affective Polarisation

This paper aims to contribute to sociological studies on polarisation by highlighting the crucial role of emotions. Grounded in the sociology of emotions, which rejects the dichotomy between emotions and rationality, we conceptualise emotions as a form of knowledge, socially embedded and contingent. The sociological approach to emotions offers a theoretical framework that captures emotional complexity in climate change discussions and beyond.

Specifically, we challenge the concept of affective polarisation, arguing that it lacks the depth to contextualise emotions within the broader social, cultural, and historical dimensions of climate debates. Affective polarisation tends to reduce emotional responses to simplistic binaries, overlooking how emotions intersect with values, social backgrounds, and identities shaped by race, ethnicity, and gender. To address this, we propose an alternative epistemological framework grounded in decolonial thought which resists Eurocentric and positivist tendencies to compartmentalise emotions. Instead, this approach accounts for the complexity of emotional landscapes shaped by historical legacies such as colonialism and industrialisation. Emotions like frustration, anger, hope, and grief are not merely reactions to environmental degradation but are intertwined with ongoing social inequalities, the marginalisation of racial and immigrant communities, and the persistent influence of Western extractivist practices. By recontextualising these emotions within their historical and societal frameworks, we aim to show how colonial legacies continue to shape not only public emotional responses but also contemporary climate policies, highlighting the importance of more nuanced research in this area.

These often-overlooked emotions reveal deeper societal tensions and uncertainties about climate change, linking public concerns about climate justice with issues of social cohesion. Understanding these emotional dynamics is crucial for grasping the complexity of societal divisions.