Environmental Communication Event ’24

On June 18th and 19th, we hosted the Environmental Communication Event ’24 at ECoLab, ASCoR, University of Amsterdam. This two-day event, sponsored by and ASCoR, aimed to provide valuable opportunities to learn about cutting-edge research, meet new people, and build strong professional relationships within the field of environmental communication.

The event featured several keynote speakers. Michael Brüggemann (Universität Hamburg) discussed the drivers of polarized media debates, while James Painter (University of Oxford, Reuters) spoke on the role of right-wing legacy media in spreading inaccurate and misleading information to hinder climate action.

In addition, we held a variety of panels covering topics such as greenfluencers, visual environmental communication, modes of communication, and public responses and attitudes toward environmental issues. Several roundtable discussions were organized, including one on net zero communication led by Nadine Strauss (University of Zürich), another on interdisciplinary environmental communication research with Ibe Delvaux (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Barbara Behre (Ghent University), and a session on lessons from misinformation and health communication research by Eline Smit and Michael Hameleers (ASCoR, University of Amsterdam).

Several poster presentations and workshops added an interactive dimension to the event. Josh Ettinger (Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University) led an inspiring session on Hollywood storytelling. Arlene Birt (Background Stories, Minneapolis College of Art and Design) conducted a great workshop on visual storytelling, and Marijn Meijers and Zeph van Berlo (ASCoR, University of Amsterdam) presented on the use of virtual reality for environmental communication.

The event was enriched by an enthusiastic audience, engaging presentations, and thought-provoking discussions. For the full program, please see below.

Thanks everyone for joining!