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

TLDR

Identity campaigns apply cognitive science to craft messages that aim to shift public opinion and spur legislative action, while democratic civic engagement is recognized as essential for successful social change. The essay examines environmental identity campaigns, argues they offer only short‑term gains and cannot mobilize large‑scale change, and proposes a communication process to strengthen civic engagement. It outlines an environmental communication framework designed to foster broader civic engagement and democratic decision making. Identity campaigns rely on elite‑led one‑way communication, which curtails civic engagement, weakens democratic change, and diminishes mobilization capacity for addressing global warming.

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 the outlines of an environmental communication process that aims at enhancing civic engagement and democratic decision making.