What Makes Climate Change Communication So Special – and Difficult?

Climate change communication might sound simple. All you need to do is simplify climate change concepts, and then tell people that they should save the earth, right?

All that is easier said than done. Climate change communication is a weighty term that is as difficult to define as it is a task that is challenging to carry out.

First, the science behind climate change is difficult to simplify. There are the nuances of climate, how different it is from weather, and how statistics and long-term trends show us that climate is changing. While there are many illustrative graphics that aid in visualizing trends and predictions, not everyone will understand them easily.

Second, climate change hasn’t quite been handled well in the mass media. Movies have sensationalized it, some news reports have misinterpreted it, and, as a result, the public is more confused than it is informed. It can be difficult to wade through this public confusion, and more difficult to convince the lay public that a lot of things that they’ve been told are not supported by scientific research.

Finally, climate change communication, as a field, has little theoretical backing. There are very few theoretical frameworks drawn from the social sciences. Such theoretical frameworks could make research in climate change communication more systematic. Moreover, there are no standard definitions on who the audience of climate change is – a definition that is sorely needed with a multi-stakeholder public.

There is also no standard on what exactly we wish to achieve with climate change communication. Do we want the lay public to be completely knowledgeable so that they can ace any test on the science behind climate change? Do we want the lay public to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and know exactly why they need to do so? Concrete communication goals can aid in better communication program design and assessment.

Climate change communication is challenging from both a research and practice perspective. When both practice and research inform each other, however, we can finally witness the burgeoning of a scholarly field.