Climate Change Communication Research Articles

Study protocol of the planetary health action survey PACE: a serial cross-sectional survey to assess the readiness to act against climate change

IntroductionClimate change is a paramount global health threat with multifaceted implications. Societal change is required to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, as well as help people adapt to...

How climate change intensified storm Boris’ extreme rainfall, revealed by near-real-time storylines

Disentangling the impact of climate change on environmental extremes is of key importance for mitigation and adaptation. Here we present an automated system that unveils the climate change signal of the day in near-real-time, employing a set of innovative storyline simulations based on a coupled climate model. Its potential to complement probabilistic assessments is showcased for storm Boris, which brought record-breaking rainfall over Central and Eastern Europe in September 2024, leading to devastating floods. Our near-real-time storylines suggest that storm Boris deposited about 9% more rain due to human-induced warming. The area impacted by the same storm’s extreme rainfall (>100 mm) was 18% larger and would continue expanding in a future warmer climate. Results from our prototype storyline system are disseminated publicly via an online tool. The case of Storm Boris demonstrates the potential of near-real-time storylines for rapid evidence-based climate change communication.

Do You See What I See? Emotional Reaction to Visual Content in the Online Debate About Climate Change

ABSTRACT This paper explores the visual echo chamber effect in online climate change communication. We analyze communication by progressive actors and counteractors involved in the public debate about climate change on Facebook, to address the possibility that visual content can bridge ideologically diverse communities. Specifically, we investigate whether visual content depicting protest serves this purpose. The findings reveal a small amount of shared visual content. Interestingly, the emotional reactions to this content for the most part diverge significantly, suggesting that pre-existing attitudes, such as climate ideological position, influence interpretation. Contrary to our expectations, however, we do not observe visual content representing protest activity bridging the two groups. This work posits the possibility of a two-fold (de)polarization around visual content that both connects and divides, which contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the social dynamics that create and sustain the echo chamber effect observed in online climate change debates. KEY POLICY HIGHLIGHTS Even when taking into account visual communication, the online debate around climate change is characterized by the presence of echo chambers with only a small fraction of content that circulates among both climate activists and climate skeptics. In cases where the same visual content circulates within the two groups, the emotional reactions are often opposed, with reactions that are more defined by the pre-existing climate ideological alignment than with an actual engagement with the content.

Challenges in communicating climate change. Treatment in the Uruguayan press.

Challenges in communicating climate change. Treatment in the Uruguayan press.

Learning from and about scientists: Consensus messaging shapes perceptions of climate change and climate scientists.

Despite overwhelming scientific consensus on the existence of human-caused climate change, public opinion among Americans remains split. Directly informing people of scientific consensus is among the most prominent strategies for climate communication, yet the reasons for its effectiveness and its limitations are not fully understood. Here, we propose that consensus messaging provides information not only about the existence of climate change but also traits of climate scientists themselves. In a large ( ) nationally representative survey experiment, we examine how consensus information affects belief in human-caused climate change by shaping perceptions of climate scientist credibility. In the control group ( ), we first show that people learn both from and about climate scientists when presented with consensus and that perceived scientist credibility (especially skill) mediates up to about 40% of the total effect of consensus information on climate belief. We demonstrate that perceptions of climate scientists are malleable with two novel interventions that increase belief in climate change above and beyond consensus information.

The German Status Report on Climate Change and Health 2023

Abstract The German Status Report on Climate Change and Health was coordinated by the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health institute, and published in 2023 through a collaboration of approximately 100 authors from 30 German institutions. It is an update of a similar report from 2010 and includes review articles and syntheses on the effects of climate change on human health through various influences such as heat, extreme weather, UV radiation, air pollutants and allergens, as well as the effect of climate change on infectious diseases through vector-borne, water-borne or food-borne pathogens. Literature reviews on the potential impact on antimicrobial resistance and mental health explore less well researched effects of climate change on health. The report discusses climate change communication and climate justice as cross-cutting issues and closes with an analysis of the options for action recommended throughout the preceding chapters. While the coordination of this report was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health, the content was compiled by an advisory board of scientists and the authors recruited by them. The status report is published as 14 individual scientific papers in three issues of the peer-reviewed Journal of Health Monitoring and is available open access in English and in German in order to reach a large scientific audience. Besides the scientific audience, another target group are local authorities contributing towards adaptation and mitigation measures. Insights from the report are being communicated by diverse channels specifically to this latter group and are taken into consideration in the process of shaping the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.

Solutions Journalism Stories Boosts Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions Through Positive Affect and Collective Efficacy Beliefs

Climate change news narratives have been criticized for perpetuating fear and sensationalism without due attention to and critical emphasis on constructive dialogue and solutions. This study investigates the potential of solutions journalism, a novel journalistic approach that emphasizes credible narratives about the threats and societal responses to those threats, to facilitate collective social responses to climate change. Using a sample N = 482, the study manipulated news stories as solutions-oriented or conventional problem-oriented. Exposure to solutions stories only increased intentions for pro-environmental action when fully mediated by positive affect and higher collective efficacy. These results offer insights for journalism and climate communication.

Climate justice beliefs related to climate action and policy support around the world

AbstractClimate justice is increasingly prominent in climate change communication and advocacy but little is known about public understanding of the concept or how widely it resonates with different groups. In our global survey of 5,627 adults in 11 countries spanning the global north and south, most participants (66.2%) had never heard of climate justice. Nonetheless, endorsement of climate justice beliefs was widespread (for example, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of climate change on poor people and the underpinning roles of capitalism and colonialism in the climate crisis). Climate justice beliefs were also associated with various indices of climate action and policy support. These associations tended to be stronger in countries with high GHG emissions and where social inequality is also more politically salient. The results highlight the value of climate justice as a motive for climate action across diverse geographical contexts.

The interplay of Christianity and Ndau African traditional religion in shaping climate change adaptation in Zimbabwe: An Afrocentric analysis

AbstractThis paper utilizes Afrocentric tenets to explore how the Ndau people's shift from African traditional religion to Christianity affects their understanding and experience of climate change. Set against recent climate‐induced disasters in Chimanimani, the study employs Afrocentric qualitative methods, including talking cycles and philosophical sagacity interviews, to gather data from household heads and village leaders. Findings indicate that traditional religious practices significantly influenced rainfall patterns and disease control, impacting agriculture. The transition to Christianity has markedly altered the community's climate change adaptation strategies. Despite this shift, Christianity has provided benefits, aiding communities in coping with droughts, death, property destruction, livelihood disruption, and climate change‐induced diseases. This study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 13, emphasizing the importance of understanding society's social rubric to combat climate change. By employing Afrocentric lenses to analyze the Ndau people's historical and cultural narratives, it offers a unique perspective on religious evolution and climate adaptation.

The Framing of Climate Change Discourse by Greenpeace Africa

The issue of climate change has been at the forefront of a number of nongovernmental environmental organisations, such as Greenpeace and its national branches, for instance, Greenpeace Africa (Pandey, 2015). Located in Johannesburg in South Africa, Greenpeace Africa (further – GA) aims “to bring forth the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future” (Greenpeace Africa, 2024). One of the major foci of GA’s environmental campaigns for a green future involves the issue of climate change. To-date, however, little is known about how GA frames its climate change communication, especially on Social Networking Sites (SNSs), such as Facebook. The present study seeks to fill the current gap in scholarship by collecting and analysing a corpus of GA’s Facebook status updates on climate change in order to shed light onto this under-researched issue. In the study, the corpus is analysed qualitatively by means of applying framing methodology (Entman, 1993, 2004, 2007, 2010). The results of the corpus analysis have revealed that GA frames its climate change communication on Facebook by a number of frames that are further discussed in the article.

The role of language and culture in conceptualization of climate change

Climate change communication often occurs in multicultural settings using certain common lingua francas to reach the wide diversity of the linguistic groups that inhabit the globe. The effectiveness of these languages is subject to the diverse cultural contexts of those involved. Different cultural contexts could give rise to various conceptualisations of climate change-related phenomena and, hence, different responses to this pressing global issue. This could have implications for the success of the efforts to grapple with the problems arising from climate change. The paper ponders the question: How do culturally situated meanings of climate factors affect the supposed common understanding of climate change concerns? It reviews literature on culture and communication and samples adages from six languages spoken in Africa and the West. The paper applies insights from the Neo-Whorfian hypothesis to examine the communication barriers in cross-cultural communication. The analysis of the sayings reveals multiple opposing culture-based values on climate issues. This leads to the conclusion that the great diversity of the cultural groups involved, as well as their unique viewpoints on climate causes, pose a substantial obstacle to communication about climate change. This militates against the development of a common understanding of the climate change problem and the quest for solutions. It recommends that culture-specific values and intercultural training be taken into account if a truly common understanding of the climate change phenomenon and its solutions is to be developed.

Exploring the role of national weather services in climate change knowledge and communication: an international survey

This study investigates the roles, perspectives, and communication strategies of National Meteorological Services (NMS) concerning climate monitoring, climate change projections, and the attribution of meteorological phenomena to climate variations. Using a survey distributed to 131 of the 193 National Meteorological Services affiliated with the World Meteorological Organization, we explore how these entities contribute to and communicate about the science of climate change. The survey targeted their involvement in observing and recording climate data, making climate projections, attributing specific weather events to climate change, and their methods of communicating these issues to the public and government officials. Responses were received from 44 countries, reflecting diverse levels of economic development and capabilities in handling, and disseminating complex climate information. The results show a strong engagement in traditional meteorological tasks, with a varied approach to the scientific study of climate change effects and public communication strategies. This study highlights the critical role of NMS in climate change research and underscores the challenges they face in effectively communicating complex climate information, which is crucial for public understanding and policymaking.

What Journalists Worry and Write About: Comparing Journalists’ Frames of Climate Futures with Respective News Frames

ABSTRACT Projections of climate futures are vital for understanding the consequences of present actions. While research in climate change communication intensely focused on media representations (e.g., the framing of climate futures), it overlooked the processes that affect the production of news frames by journalists, such as individual future visions, newsroom policies, and professional routines. To address this research gap, the present study conducted reconstruction interviews with journalists covering climate futures in four countries (i.e., India, Germany, South Africa, and the United States). It identified five journalists’ frames, ranging from “Technology for future” to “Towards apocalypse”. The paper then compared the findings with a content analysis of articles written by the journalists interviewed in this study. It finds that the journalists’ frames are more varied than those identified in news content. Journalists’ frames shaping coverage seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

The influence of partisan news on climate mitigation support: An investigation into the mediating role of perceived risk and efficacy.

Perceptions of efficacy play a central role in motivating people to engage in climate actions. However, there has been little investigation into how different climate efficacy beliefs are formed and how they may be associated with support for climate mitigation policies. This study, based on the motivated control framework, examines how risk perceptions may differentially be associated with four types of efficacy constructs (self-efficacy, personal outcome expectancy, collective efficacy, and collective outcome efficacy). It also places the motivated control framework in the context of the partisan information sphere and examines how exposure to partisan news may influence mitigation policy support through the mediators of risk perceptions and the efficacy constructs. Results suggest that liberal- and conservative-leaning news exposure, respectively, associate with higher and lower supports for policies. Overall, risk perception was a significant mediator, and the mediating function of efficacy varied depending on the specific construct being examined. For liberal news use, increased risk perceptions had a positive association with policy support through self-efficacy and collective outcome expectancy but also had an unexpected negative association with policy support through personal outcome expectancy and collective efficacy. For conservative news use, decreased risk perceptions resulted in further decreased beliefs of self-efficacy and collective outcome expectancy, resulting in lower levels of support for climate policies. We also find that political ideology is a significant moderator for the mediation model. Implications for climate change communication are discussed.

Through Ecocriticism and Affect Theory, Exploring Climate Change Artistry: The Ice Receding/Books Reseeding Project

This article delves into the Ice Receding/Books Reseeding project of multidisciplinary artist Basia Irland through the lenses of ecocriticism and affect theory, uncovering its profound significance as a climate change artwork. An example of participatory artwork utilizing transmedia storytelling, this project provides a transformative platform that immerses audiences in the realities of non-human climate change impacts. Through an ecocritical examination, the article explores the intricate dynamics of human-non-human relationships depicted in the project, while affect theory sheds light on the emotional responses it evokes. Ultimately, I argue that participatory art is a crucial tool for climate change communication and activism, advocating for its broader adoption in addressing environmental challenges and fostering sustainability through the direct involvement of participants. Analyzing Irland’s Ice Receding/Books Reseeding project, the article underscores the potential of climate change art as a powerful medium for effective environmental communication and offers practical guidance for communicators aiming to optimize its impact.

Showing climate action: exploring Fridays for Future Germany’s visual activism on Flickr

This article examines how Fridays for Future Germany (FFFG) uses photographs of climate protests to convey the politics of climate change to wider audiences. The author argues that FFFG is an ideal-type form of visual activism in which visual imagery is central to its climate activism. The article builds on climate change communication scholarship and visual social movement studies to contribute an inquiry about FFFG’s visual activism. The focus is on FFFG’s visual self-representations on the social media platform Flickr, which promises to give insights into its strategies of self-legitimation. The empirical analysis discusses the recurring visual patterns in FFFG’s visual activism based on illustrative examples and provides an interpretive reading about the implications of certain ways of seeing and showing climate action. The conclusion puts the findings in a wider political context, highlighting the importance of visualization in the (self-)legitimation of FFFG in debates about global climate governance.

The Value of Grey Literature on Climate Change Research in the Philippines: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study highlights the value of grey literature in climate change research in the Philippines, emphasizing its essential role in understanding the issue within the country’s unique socioeconomic and natural environment. A bibliometric analysis of publications in local journals reveals that various types and formats of grey literature are not merely supplementary but essential for communicating climate change, its effects, and adaptation strategies. Despite the prevalence of major publishers, a substantial amount of research in the country continues to be disseminated through local journals. However, these journals face significant challenges, including limited coverage in major databases and concerns about quality, which hinder their global recognition and impact. The findings recommend that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) enhance the capacity of higher education institutions (HEIs) to improve the quality and credibility of local journals. This improvement would increase their visibility and reach, ensuring that the comprehensive body of Filipino research is preserved, recognized, and utilized in the global discourse on climate change. Consequently, this will foster a more inclusive and informed approach to understanding and addressing this global challenge.

Erratum to “Translation at Work in Climate Change Communication”

Erratum to “Translation at Work in Climate Change Communication”

The Mediating Effect of Organizational Communication Climate on Media Literacy and Communication Competence of Higher Education Institution Teachers

This study explored the mediating role of organizational communication climate on the relationship between media literacy and communication competence among higher education institution teachers. Using a quantitative, non-experimental correlational design, data were gathered from 200 professors at Higher Education Institutions in Davao City through purposive sampling and online surveys. The researcher employed statistical tools such as mean, Pearson r, and medgraph with Sobel Z-test. The findings revealed high levels of media literacy and organizational communication climate, while communication competence was found to be very high. Significant relationships were identified between media literacy and communication competence, as well as between organizational communication climate and communication competence. However, no significant relationship was observed between media literacy and organizational communication climate. Additionally, organizational communication climate was found to partially mediate the relationship between media literacy and communication competence among the teachers.

The impact of studying abroad on language choice in social networking sites: a comparative study of Azerbaijani students in Türkiye and at home

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the influence of studying abroad and cultural or political contexts on language choice in social networking sites. This is achieved by comparing the language choices of two groups of Azerbaijani university students studying in Azerbaijan and Türkiye on Twitter (n = 324, n = 122). The theoretical framework for interpreting individuals’ linguistic changes was developed based on communication accommodation theory and audience and referee design concepts. Two separate datasets were created, consisting of 165,871 tweets posted by students in Azerbaijan and 77,240 tweets posted by students in Türkiye, covering four years. These data were analysed using a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. At first glance, comparing the quantitative findings gives the impression that studying abroad is the dominant factor influencing language choice in social media, but this is quite misleading. Qualitative analyses show that users’ socio-political and socio-cultural contexts can limit or even eliminate the impact of studying abroad. The results suggest that an increase in the collectivist communicative climate on the network is more likely to influence language preferences on Twitter than studying abroad, especially in the short term. The language preferences of both groups converged or diverged depending on the context.