Climate change attribution during and following Hurricane Irma: The role of direct physical storm and media exposures

Abstract:

Prior research suggests direct exposure to extreme weather events may influence people’s mental schemas, strengthening the view that climate change and such events are related. Media-based exposure to events may also predict change in climate change attribution views over time. No research has explored these issues in real-time during an actual extreme weather event. Here we find in a prospective longitudinal study recruited using address-based sampling with a representative sample of 1,515 Floridians impacted by Hurricane Irma that physical exposures (i.e., wind speed, air temperature, storm surge, infrastructure damage) elicited differential responses depending on evacuation zone status and were moderated by hurricane-related media exposure. Results suggest both direct physical and hurricane-related media-based exposures to an extreme weather event predict climate attribution views.