Global climate change in the Spanish media: How the conservative press portrayed Al Gore’s initiative

Resumen

Although scientific and ecological organizations, aided by celebrities like former US vice-president Al Gore, have managed to place climate change in the public eye, skepticism towards its existence is gathering at an alarming pace to the extent that, for many people, it is no longer a priority and is becoming a secondary problem, eclipsed by issues such asthe economic crisis. This article analyzes the impact of Al Gore's green campaign in the media in Spain. The documentary An Inconvenient Truth has become an emblem of public awareness of the phenomenon; however, the treatment it received in the Spanish press varied according to ideology. The analysis shows that the conservative press in Spain took a skeptical stance that went from timid editorials and critical opinion articles in the most popular newspapers like ABC, El Mundo and La Razón to fierce accusations and insults in the most brazen ones, like Libertad Digital.