Fire and Ice: Talking about Carbon in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

A fundamental challenge in conversations made at the frontiers of globalization is the degree to which international representatives and local interlocutors understand one another. Decisions made at such "glocalized" sites of interaction (Brenner 1998) may hinge on issues of communication about which we know very little. Yet social scientists, who have made important contributions, analyzing the conditions required to improve communication in settings such as doctor-patient interactions (Cicourel 1987; Kleinman 1980, 1995), have paid little attention to similar challenges involving interactions between representatives of environmental or development organizations and local, including indigenous, spokespersons. The matter is especially crucial in forming contractual arrangements where approvals are sought, yet the criteria necessary for assessing comprehension are lacking. The problem is particularly salient in communications about carbon sequestration and climate change where there is ample opportunity for misunderstanding.