Communication Regarding Sustainability: Conceptual Perspectives and Exploration of Societal Subsystems

TLDR

Sustainability issues are complex and uncertain, and prior debate has focused on persuading others, yet communication also involves dialogue and discourse. The study aims to develop a typology of communication modes, including communication for sustainability, to better address sustainability challenges. Using functional communication systems, the authors apply the typology to six societal subsystems to explore sustainability communication. German examples reveal a shift from communication of to communication about sustainability across subsystems, with interlinkages that can be opened to foster transdisciplinarity, societal deliberation, and governance.

Abstract

Sustainability issues are typically characterized by high complexity and uncertainty. In light of this, communication plays a crucial role in coping with these challenges. The previous debate on sustainability communication has largely focused on how to communicate sustainability issues to others. Sustainability communication, however, involves more than sender oriented communication to persuade others (“communication of sustainability”); it also embraces processes of dialogue and discourse (“communication about sustainability”). Based on this distinction, we develop a typology of communication modes, including communication for sustainability. Inspired by the notion of functional communication systems, we explore sustainability communication in six societal subsystems, applying the typology of communication modes. Drawing mostly on examples from Germany, we find a shift from “communication of” towards “communication about” sustainability in most subsystems. While communication subsystems have a tendency towards operational closure, a variety of interlinkages exist. We discuss three key areas of “opening up” communication subsystems, leading to transdisciplinarity, societal deliberation and governance, each meeting one of sustainability’s core challenges.