Environmental Communication

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION

by Antonio C. Antonio

August 27, 2014

What is the importance of focusing on environmental communication as opposed to other forms of environmental action in understanding the environment?

Climate change, global warning and changing weather systems have made man think of the ill effects of his actions and attitude towards his environment in the last 2 decades.  People have begun to open their minds to new knowledge to increase their awareness on environmental matters.  But environmental science seems to be a very complex subject.  It is therefore important to communicate environmental concerns in a manner easily and readily understood by everyone… and not only the practitioners and students of environmental science.  The tedious motions of researching and studying environmental science will eventually tool anyone on environmental matters and increase his/her level of understanding about the environment.

Environmental science is an academic field which is multidisciplinary in nature.  It provides an integrated, quantitative and interdisciplinary approach in studying environmental systems and includes most, if not all, branches of studies to include social sciences as well.  The broad character of environmental studies makes it a daunting task to communicate to a larger audience… humankind, who is the target beneficiary of all these conceptual and operative studies and research.  The aim of environmental studies is to provide sustainable solutions to natural resources utilization, protection and re-constitution.  Sustainable is a key word in environmental concerns since it is the basis by which natural resources are utilized by the present generation but leaving the same quantity and quality of natural resources for future generations to also utilize.

Dividing environmental studies to three general categories will bring us to detailed studies of land (terrestrial), water (marine/coastal) and air (atmosphere).  Air is the common boundary between land and water… therefore, land and water cannot be effectively understood without their effects to the atmosphere.  On a larger scale of environmental science (as a whole), which includes all three categories, makes for a very daunting field of study.  Any one of these category alone entails a long and detailed study to understand and comprehend.  The study of the environment in its totality is only one part of the challenge; the other part, supposedly harder, is communicating these knowledge and information to the rest of the world to understand as well.  Towards this end, environmental communication becomes critically important.

Environmental communication, as a field of study, involves studies of the environment and human-environment interactions (HEI).  On the other hand, Dr. Alexander Flor of UPOU defines environmental communication, in the context of practice, as “the application of communication approaches, principles, strategies and techniques to environmental management and protection”.  Environmental communication is conducted by an individual, groups, institutions or even governments aimed at spreading environmental information and knowledge to their particular spheres of influence.  In the study and research stage, environmental communication also plays a vital role as it is the means and process by which information are communicated in the formulation of strategic concepts.  This is done through interpersonal communication to social media interaction to peer discussions, etc.  These participatory decision-making exercises fine tune raw strategies to concrete plans and programs on how to communicate environmental concerns to a larger audience.

Environmental communication, as a practice, includes a broad spectrum of interactions ranging from interpersonal communications to specific forums to social and mainstream media.  As environmental communications is a practice and a multidisciplinary field of study that has effects and influence in the daily lives of people, the conduct of businesses, government functions and most, if not all, aspects of human existence in relation to his environment, its importance cannot be treated as mundane.  Environmental communication highlights the need to realize that understanding HEI is not the product of science alone but a product of participatory interaction among people in academic discussions, public forums and debates, social and mainstream media information and feedback, and even ordinary daily conversations.

The most cost effective and cost efficient mode of environmental communication is through social media.  However, social media and the Internet also have its limitation.  The effectiveness of social media depends largely on the ownership of information technology (IT) equipment and gadgets.  Sadly, not all households have computers and Internet connection.  Mainstream media (television, radio and print), together with other forms of campaign and advertising tools (mobile tarpaulins, billboards, posters, leaflets, etc.), are quite expensive and not attainable without the necessary funding support.  Unfortunately, sponsorships from the business sector largely depend on the monetary returns that a “cost or expense” will accrue to them… intangible benefits (such as quality air, the aesthetic value of nature, a healthy environment, etc.) that Mother Earth provides are not exactly the returns on investment the business sector looks for and wants.

Environmental advocacy, in spite of its challenging nature, remains to be very important.  Effective environmental advocacies have profound influence in over public policies on environmental issues.  Along the HEI principles and models, it involves protecting both people from environmental hazards and the environment from anthropogenic disturbances.  As sure as we say environmental advocacy is important, we should be willing to embrace the hardships of communicating its dynamics relentlessly and without surrender.  Nothing worthwhile comes easy and if the cause is easy, it’s really not worth pursuing.  Eventually, the level of environmental awareness will increase as the number of concerned individuals proportionately increases.

The importance of environmental communication cannot be disregarded as it is needed in all stages of environmental advocacy… from conceptualization to the actual implementation of environmental plans and programs.

Just my little thoughts…

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