Ecolinguistics for and beyond the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

This article considers potential impacts the study of language, including ecolinguistics, can have on important real-world issues, and how linguists and others can involve themselves in addressing these issues for a sustainable future. The article is divided into two parts. The first part provides an illustrative study in which computer tools were utilized to investigate media reporting. The study examined the relative coverage of issues of basic human needs (food, clean water, and sanitation), which are part of the focus of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, in four major newspapers from Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and the US. Data were collected between November 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early days in terms of worldwide attention. During that time period, the pandemic received far more coverage in those newspapers than did the other issues, even though basic human needs greatly outweighed the COVID-19 pandemic as to deaths and other forms of suffering at the time of data collection, not to mention the toll on human life in the many years before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Reasons for this severe discrepancy were explored with insights from professionals working in the media and related sectors. The skewed distribution of media coverage, we argue, reflects a crisis of responsibility and values. The second part of the article serves to highlight how those of us in language studies can make a contribution to the wider discussion about, among other important concerns, the role and responsibility of media in shaping the public’s views and actions on issues that are at the heart of sustainable development, and how we can be more socially engaged. We conclude by arguing that ecolinguists have much to contribute to the sustainability of the world, which ultimately requires a respect for the entire ecological community.

On Global Englishes, Translanguaging, and the Educational Challenge of Celebrating Students’ Capacity for Communication

“…In that view, privileged people use privileged languages and similarly enjoy privileged access to vaccines, sanitation, clean water, and adequate food (cf. Chau et al, 2022). This is similar to Bourdieu's (1979) work on cultural capital and Sandel's (2020) work on meritocracy.…”

Ecolinguistic Topics in Indonesian English Textbooks

“…They also stated that ecolinguistic aspects were not really got enough attention from the Iranian English textbooks' writers or publishers. Chau et al, (2022) mentioned that topics related to environmental issues such as famine, water pollution, or sanitation were not discussed very often. Meanwhile the topic of the current pandemic, Covid-19 were frequently discussed.…”

The Portrayal of Environmental Concerns: An Ecolinguistic Analysis of Media Discourse

“…For instance, the role of the UN, climate activists, and political parties in climate preservation is undeniable, and specific studies have been conducted to critically assess their climate discourse. These studies (Abdurrahman, 2023;Chau et al, 2022;Wang, Zhai, & Zhao, 2019;Yuniawan, et al, 2017) have primarily identified the following key areas in the selected discourses: appeals to all the stakeholders to take responsibility for climate awareness; devise immediate remedial actions and plans; and implement these plans seriously.…”

“…When it comes to the Saudi context, an observable dearth of studies with a perspective on ecolinguistics analysis of climate issues in media discourse emerges. Only a few studies, such as (Almaghlouth, 2022;Al-Jayyousi, 2023;Chau et al, 2022;Hameed, Jabeen & Mehar, 2022) have offered critical insights in this regard. Thus, it becomes inevitable to explore how and what role the newspaper media in Saudia is playing in the realization of Saudi Vision 2030 particularly the climate revolutions.…”