From Environmental Campaigns to Advancing the Public Dialog: Environmental Communication for Civic Engagement

Abstract

This essay examines the claims of environmental identity campaigns regarding the issue of climate change. Identity campaigns are based on the idea that more effective environmental messages developed through the application of cognitive science by professional communications experts can favorably influence public opinion, and thus support legislative action to remedy this issue. Based on a review of the sociological and psychological literature regarding social change and mobilization, I argue that while this approach may offer short term advantages, it is most likely incapable of developing the large scale mobilization necessary to enact the massive social and economic changes necessary to address global warming. Specifically, theoretical and empirical research on the role of the public sphere, civil society and social movements shows that democratic civic engagement is core to successful social change efforts. However, identity campaigns focus on a communications process that centers on elite led one way communications, which falls to allow for any form of civic engagement and public dialogue. This undermines the creation of a democratic process of change and reinforces the professionalization of political discourse, leading to a weakening of the mobilization capacity over this issue of global warming. The essay concludes with

Culture, Carbon, and Climate Change: A Class Analysis of Climate Change Belief, Lifestyle Lock-in, and Personal Carbon Footprint

“…In light of the looming crisis of climate change (IPCC, 2014a;Melillo et al, 2014;Zalasiewicz et al, 2015), there is a wave of scholarship directed at trying to understand and change human-environmental attitudes and behaviors, especially carbon-emissions related behaviors (Brulle, 2010;Dietz et al, 2009;Maibach et al, 2008;McCright, 2009;McKenzie-Mohr, 2011).…”

Social science perspectives on natural hazards risk and uncertainty

“…Ensuring the effectiveness of science communication in the context of environmental risks is a well-documented challenge (e.g. Brulle, 2010;Heath et al, 2007;MacDonell et al, 2002;Sterman, 2011). However, while social research can shed useful light on how best to communicate scientific uncertainty, for us what is significant is that it can also bring social and cultural perspectives to natural hazards science via methodological processes that emphasise the 'co-production of scientific knowledge' through 'knowledge theoretic' approaches (see Lane et al, 2011;Odoni and Lane, 2010).…”

A Modernização Ecológica Pode Ser Adaptada Ao Brasil?

“…Em relação à Modernização Ecológica (ME) -com vistas à resolução de questões ambientais, as principais críticas que essa corrente recebe' estão relacionadas à sua origem tecnocrática, ou seja, ao fato de que ela adequa o ambientalismo às necessidades do mercado, não concebe as relações de poder e o papel dos agentes, nem dá a devida atenção aos contextos sociais e às preocupações éticas (BRULLE, 2010).…”