From “Burning Library” to “Green Medicine”

In public discourse on the environment, scientific knowledge is often mediated by metaphors. In this article, the authors are concerned with the role of metaphors in the communication of biodiversity loss. More specifically, their examination focuses on such popular metaphors as “the library of life,” “biotic holocaust,” and “the Holy Grail” and on the role of these metaphors in putting biodiversity loss on the global environmental agenda. These metaphors reflect two opposite narratives on environmental politics: the apocalyptic narrative of species extinction and the new narrative of hope that looks at genetic engineering.