Local knowledge systems tend to be perceived as being in opposition to modern knowledge, as a form of folk/indigenous/traditional knowledge distinct from universal/Western/modern knowledge (Kloppenburg, 1991). This study will evaluate whether the mentality portrayed by Maltese, French and German members of the public expressing their opinion on environmental issues on online media as a reaction to environment-related journalistic articles can be said to pertain to local or universal knowledge in each of the three contexts.
The jargon used will be analysed since ‘environment words’ may reveal an ecological agenda, connoting viewpoints and expressing arguments and beliefs. Arguments and viewpoints will be judged against the ecosophy or the normative ecological philosophy (Naess 1995a, Stibbe 2021, Virdis, 2022) that the authors adhere to. Using Stibbe’s (2021) terminology, discourses about nature will be categorised as being beneficial (totally and truly in favour of protecting the environment), ambivalent (only partially encouraging people to protect the planet), or destructive (encouraging exploitation and destruction of nature). The descriptions obtained will help to draw a portrait of the mentality (or factions therein) of the Maltese, French and German public about pressing environmental challenges and to understand whether sustainable development is truly a concern in the minds of the readers, whether they accurately appreciate the nature of ecological challenges or whether more effort needs to be deployed to make the public aware of the crucial importance of preserving the environment.