Poster Session
Consumer Preference Shifts Connected to Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges with Values in the Journey to Sustainability View Digital Media
Poster Session Katerina Kormusheva
The preliminary research findings of research into consumer preference shifts connected to climate change are presented. The research explores topics such as the potential for private benefits from implementing measures towards sustainability, responses to consumer preferences and price premiums. The research summarizes market observations on consumer preferences and value measures carried out in Australia. The research further explores and discusses how to engage business stakeholders in addressing climate change issues from the private and public interest.
You’ve Been Framed!: Exploring Accountability Framing and Perceived Responsibility for the Causes and Solutions of Climate Change View Digital Media
Poster Session Marit Bogert
In the face of intensifying climate change (CC) impacts, comprehending how individuals perceive the responsibility of various actors for CC causes and solutions is crucial for garnering support for efficient mitigation. The broader public often encounters CC through mass media, where accountability framing—decisions of journalists and editors to attribute CC responsibility to specific actors—plays a pivotal role. Framing choices can shape public perception by raising awareness of specific entities' contributions to CC and their potential roles in addressing it. As different audiences respond differently to certain frames, we investigate how perceptions of accountability of certain actors (government, industry, science, consumers, society) in news media interact with individual beliefs and values, aiming to inform tailored and effective communication strategies for CC mitigation support. Using survey data from 2023 (n=104) and statistical modelling, our research shows significant differences in perceived accountability for causing and solving CC. Additionally, someone’s opinion on who is responsible for the cause or solution is influenced by their worldview, perception of scientific consensus on climate change, and indirectly by political ideology. This study provides insights into the intricate dynamics of accountability framing in CC discourse, but future research should further explore the role of worldviews and investigate the motivations driving accountability perceptions among different types of people and political affiliations, in order to build a nuanced understanding of the factors shaping individual attitudes on CC accountability and someone’s own role in mitigating it.
Understanding the Malaysian Public's Perception and Response to Climate Change View Digital Media
Poster Session Azliyana Azhari
Climate change poses a significant threat to Malaysia, impacting public health, food security, and socioeconomic stability. Despite rising temperatures and a growing frequency of extreme weather events, public understanding and engagement with climate change mitigation and adaptation remain limited. This study addresses this gap by investigating Malaysian public perceptions, behaviours, and information sources related to climate change, to better understand how climate change information can be communicated more easily and effectively. A nationally representative survey was carried out in August 2022 with 1063 respondents. Audience segmentation was carried out utilizing the Six America Super Short Survey (SASSY!) Tool as has been used across diverse countries, and differences in the segments’ responses were analysed. The majority of Malaysians are Alarmed (45%) or Concerned (36%) about climate change. 81% of Malaysians believe climate change is occurring, however, only 40-56% understand key climate change terminology, highlighting a critical knowledge gap. 65-79% of Malaysians have already adopted common purchasing, energy and waste management behaviours to address climate change. Social media and chat apps dominate media preferences, while scientists, environmental groups, and academic publications are the most trusted information sources. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and communicators seeking to bridge the gap between public perception and effective climate change action in Malaysia. By addressing the knowledge gap through targeted communication campaigns aligned with preferred media and trusted sources, Malaysia can mobilize its public in collective efforts to mitigate climate change.
Project-Based Learning for Global Climate Justice: Supporting Educators to Teach Issues of Global Climate Justice
Poster Session Zachary Herrmann, Taylor Hausburg
Traditional environmental education efforts tend to focus on teaching students about climate change– a passive approach that fails to capitalize on students’ capacity to make a meaningful impact in their communities both now and in their future. That’s why many are now calling for “transformative” approaches to environmental education. Amid such calls, project-based learning– or PBL– has emerged as a way to allow students to explore and confront climate-related questions within their communities. To help teachers get started, the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Center for Professional Learning launched the PBL for Global Climate Justice program, which brings together educators from around the world to design project-based learning curricula focused on the problems and questions of global climate change. The program is divided into three parts: During Part I, “Explore,” educators deepen their own understanding of global climate justice issues and learn about how Penn scholars and practitioners, along with local community experts, working in different disciplines authentically engage with such issues by exploring resources on our online learning platform. In Part II, “Envision,” educators learn about the principles of project-based learning and sketch out project ideas that are relevant and authentic to their local context. During Part III, “Enact,” educators implement their projects with their students, as they participate in monthly live meetings with small teams of colleagues.
