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Planet Now
Blog on Effective Environmental Communication
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This week, I wanted to draw attention to a serious environmental disaster - which hopefully you have already heard about. A train carrying chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. The train cars were marked as “non-hazardous” despite containing vinyl chloride, a gas linked to cancers. Authorities implemented a controlled burn to reduce the chances of chemicals causing an explosion. The controlled burn has released chemicals into the atmosphere that are harmful to humans. Residents of the area are concerned about whether their air and water are safe and if they can trust government officials saying they are safe. The disaster has been devastating to wildlife in the area. Thousands of creatures like fish, chickens, and the endangered hellbender salamander have been found dead near the incident. I saw an interesting tweet about the derailment from environmental writer Eve Andrews. She shared her disappointment with many people on her Twitter feed saying there was a lack of coverage on the derailment despite much coverage.
The tweet made me think about information overload. As we get much of our news from the Internet and social media, we are exposed to different stories and may not come across big stories about serious issues. Additionally, with information overload, we experience selective bias because we pay attention to what fits our beliefs. For example, I’m interested in understanding climate change, so I follow a lot of environmental accounts. I’ve also made friends in my environmental classes and clubs, so I am particularly exposed to environmental media when they share content. Therefore, much of the media I consume comes from people who believe in climate change and are very pro-environment. As a result, I might think the opinions I see a lot reflect how the general population thinks. Clearly, information overload makes it possible to miss important stories and shows the importance of following news sources of various sizes and topics to help us stay informed. There has been an abundance of misinformation about the derailment as area residents and government agencies investigate. However, we should keep paying attention to the situation and learn lessons to prevent future similar accidents. It’s not the first, but hopefully with future consideration of risks, it will be the last chemical disaster.
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From heat waves to hurricanes and their inequitable impacts, climate change is already harming our planet and communities. However, it is not a salient news topic in many Americans’ lives. A 2021 Yale Program on Climate Change Communication survey found that just 33% of American adults hear about global warming in the media at least once per week.
At the same time, 58% of Americans reported being alarmed or concerned about climate change in 2021. While many people are aware that the issue is serious, it can feel like the issue is not getting enough attention or action, which might increase feelings of hopelessness and climate anxiety. Fortunately, there is an increasing amount of content about climate change. The Media and Climate Change Observatory, based at University of Colorado Boulder, actually found that 2021 had more climate news than any other year. (Of course, with abundant climate disinformation, not all media about climate change is good.) The New York Times covers several climate change stories per week. I like to receive their regular notifications of climate news, even if the news itself is negative. A recent article featured two climate activists, Bill McKibben and Xiye Bastida, discussing the future of the environmental movement. While The New York Times is behind a paywall, Grist is a great spot to visit for articles centering climate justice. This outlet connects climate change to different topics that matter to audiences. A recent article shared five ways climate change made life more expensive. You could share it with a cost-conscious friend who is open to understanding climate change but not yet particularly engaged with the issue. HEATED is a newsletter by reporter Emily Atkin. It holds companies and politicians accountable for their contributions to climate change and climate disinformation. I’d recommend subscribing to it to learn about topics like greenwashing and how you can help the climate crisis. Moreover, I was excited to see a climate reporter, Liz MacLaughlin, start working at my local news station, WRAL. The station commonly covers climate stories on topics like clean energy and sea level rise in the Outer Banks. These sources are just a few of many places to learn about climate change. I recommend you look at these resources and share them with friends to help them stay informed as well as equipped to advocate for climate solutions themselves. Comment below with your favorite sources to keep up-to-date on climate stories and solutions! |
Welcome to my blog! It is a combination of posts from my strategic writing (spring 2022) and personal branding (spring 2023) courses at UNC. I hope you will enjoy reading the posts and learning about the environment and communication.
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