EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION

Dr. Denisa Hejlova, Charles University in PragueWaseda University, July 2014

European perspectives on global environment communication with focus on Japanese issues

1. Perspectives on global environment2. Environment: Cultural or Natural Phenomenon? 3. Communication discourse of environmental issues4. Media and environment 5. Politics and environment 6. Environment and marketing for social change 7. Conclusions

1. Perspectives on Global EnvironmentHistorical and Contemporary

Perspectives on global environment

Historical – man ruling the nature, win over the forces of nature, nature as food source

Contemporary – to live in harmony with nature, protect the nature, predict the nature

What is environmental communication?

Robert Cox (2010): in his book Environmental Communication and Public Sphere defines major areas of study and practice:

1) Environmental rhetoric and discourse2) Media and environmental journalism3) Public participation and decision making4) Social marketing and advocacy5) Collaboration and conflict resolution6) Risk communication7) Representations of nature in culture and green marketing

2. Environment: Cultural or Natural Phenomenon?

How culture shapes our perception of environment

• Our perception of environment is shaped by the society and culture we live in

• Robert Cox: Social-symbolic constructions of environment

• Example: Sapir – Wharf Hypothesis: language shapes our mind (ex. Inuits have more words for snow and ice because it’s their natural environment)

EXAMPLE: 10 words for ice and snow from Labradoran Inuit1.'ice' sikko2.'bare ice' tingenek3.'snow (in general)' aput4.'snow (like salt)' pukak5.'soft deep snow' mauja6.'snowdrift' tipvigut7.'soft snow' massak8.'watery snow' mangokpok9.'snow filled with water' massalerauvok10.'soft snow' akkilokipok49 words for snow and ice from West Greenlandic etc.

Czech: safe, continental, rarely natural disasters

Japan: unique island position, tectonic, volcanic, typhoons, etc.

Comparing Czech and Japanese Environment

Environment from communication and cultural point of view Meta-narrative and structural questions within the environmental global discourse:

• What is environment? • What is the role of people in environment?• Should we change it?• Who should profit from the change of environment? • Is it possible for everyone to have the same relationship to environment? • Should we protect it and save it for the future generations? • What is the cost of environmental protection?• Who pays for it?

Opinions and (latent) answers to these questions are embedded in contemporary issues and news stories concerning the global environment

3. Communication discourse of environmental issues

Communication discourse of environmental issues: an ambiguity or juxtaposition

• Discourse (Norman Fairclough, Michel Foucault) – “the way we talk about things” – not what we say, but why and how we think and talk about it

• “What is behind every story”

Discoursive ambiguity in the concept of environment:1) Mother nature – giving, feeding, fertile, source, embracing,

romantic 2) Dangerous nature – enemy, fight, need to win over nature

This discoursive ambiguity is corresponding with different emotions – 1) positive or 2) negative

Environmental discourse1) Nature = positive

Environmental discourse 2) Nature = negative

4. Media and environment

Books by Libby Lester

The relationship between media and environment

• Our knowledge and perception of the environment is shaped not only by culture, but also by media

• News media play a central role in shaping the opinions and public affairs (Manuel Castells) and they form the reality we live in (Pierre Bourdieu)

• Social media are on the rise of positions towards the environment, especially through campaigning

• However: not everything can/will make the news • Questions: How are the news produced? What is the public

relations and public affairs in environmental communication? Why do the people share some news and others don’t?

“Czech Republic is not going to be affected by radiation after tsunami, en expert on NE Mrs Drabova says”

“Anchorman said: Fukushima food is safe. Now he got cancer”

Example of media discourse juxtaposition: media coverage on Fukushima disaster

Fukushima influence on nuclear energy and media and communication in Europe

• Change of communication: nuclear energy is not safe • Fukushima quoted in media as biggest nuclear problem

together with Chernobyl (difficult to say which one had more impact)

• Disaster so shocking because it happened in Japan – country with the most advanced technology and development (“nowhere is safe enough”)

• Unexpected power of environmental catastrophy (“we can not win over nature, neither can we predict its behavior”)

… but: different opinions across EU states and local policy!

Example of an infamous media issue in Europe: Japan and whaling

• Japanese whale fishing published often in European media

• Whaling as a symbol of “barbarism”

• Whales a symbol of environmental protection used a lot in communication

• Question: Why did whaling become so “popular” in the news media?

Whale fishing Whale rescue

Media symbolism: whales as a symbol

Traditional: Win over nature

Contemporary: protect the nature social campaign

Whaling in traditional and contemporary perspective

Popular Culture: A culture Meme

5. Politics and environment

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Miloš ZemanCzech President from 2013 – on

Václav KlausCzech President 2002-2013

Two different political approaches on examples of two Czech Presidents

Czech President Vaclav Klaus as a world opponent of global warming and climate change • “Environmentalism is an

ideology” (2007)

• “Global warming is not a science, but a new religion” (2009)

6. Environment and marketing for social change – Japanese and Czech campaigns examples

Japan: Contemporary and traditional: using traditional lifestyle to support environment protection (energy saving, coolbiz)

Japanese commercial campaigns promoting energy saving – using traditional fans instead of air-conditioner after 03/11 (own photo)

Japan: Social marketing: energy saving as a responsible behavior

Japanese government campaign promoting energy saving after 03/11 (own photo)

Czech: Waste separation campaigns

Europe: Corporate communication: going green

Certified ecolabellingGreen marketing

Uncertified “ecolabelling”Greenwashing

Europe: Promoting green purchasing – Ecolabelling Green marketing vs. Greenwashing

To conclude

• Environmental communication is shaped not only by the newest scientific knowledge, but also by culture, media and society we live in

• There are strong political and economical factors, which influence environmental policy and communication

• Intercultural environmental communication can be difficult since the opinions on the scale and character of an environmental issue may vary deeply

• Environmental issues and communication are often linked to emotions and meta-structural discoursive patterns

• However, in advanced markets, the marketing and public relations campaigns are supporting the eco-friendly, environmental conscious image and corporate identity

Questions and discussion

Thank you for your attention. Denisa Hejlova, Ass. Prof., Head of Department, Charles University in Praguehejlova@fsv.cuni.cz

Sources • Harrison, Gary. Romanticism, Nature, Ecology. See

http://www.rc.umd.edu/pedagogies/commons/ecology/harrison/harrison.html • Nuclear reactors in the World.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Facts-and-Figures/World-Nuclear-Power-Reactors-and-Uranium-Requirements/

• UN stops Japanese whaling. http://zpravy.idnes.cz/lov-velryby-v-japonsku-a-soud-osn-dqb-/zahranicni.aspx?c=A140331_120648_zahranicni_ert

• Whaling facts and graphs: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-08/whales-killed-since-1985/5375858

• Cox, J. Robert. (2010). Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

• Flor, Alexander G. (2004). Environmental Communication: Principles, Approaches and Strategies of Communication Applied to Environmental Management. Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines: University of the Philippines-Open University

• Japanese Ministry of Environment White Paper (2013). http://www.env.go.jp/en/wpaper/2013/pdf/01_index.pdf

• Lester, Libby (2010). Media and Environment. Cambridge: Polity Press. • CENIA – Czech Information agency for Environment. http://www1.cenia.cz/www/VET/galerie-

VET