Planetary Utilization of Sustainability

Strategies (PLUS) Project Workshop

Gaborone, Botswana, 8-9 February 2024

Theme:
Communicating Climate Change in Southern Africa: Research,
Policy and Advocacy

Conveners: Gabriel Faimau, Olekae Tsompi Thakadu & Esther Nkhukhu-Orlando

Date: 8-9 February 2024
Venue: Cresta Marakanelo Lodge, Gaborone, Botswana

As climate change continues to be one of the defining crises of our time, effective
communication of this crisis becomes crucial. Views, perceptions, and attitudes of
different members of the public towards climate change are usually influenced and
shaped by how the issue is communicated. Scholars have generally agreed that one
of the main challenges of climate change communication is the existence of alienation
and communication breakdown between climate change scientists and non-expert
audiences (Chirisa, Matamanda, & Mutambwa, 2018; Evans, Dyll, & Teer-Tomaselli,
2018; de Leon & Gotangco, 2018). Or, as suggested by Thakadu and Tau (2012),
issues of climate change and environmental management are often written in complex
scientific language that cannot be understood and accessed easily by non-expert
stakeholders and non-technical audiences. There is no question that communicating
climate change requires an understanding of the media logic and various media
platforms, communication techniques, behavioural language and target audience.
Climate change communication is about unpacking and translating the abstractness
and complexity of climate change and communicating the issue in a communicative
language that is easily understood by a target audience, including the non-expert
audience. In other words, communicating climate change aims at closing or bridging
the gap between the scientific nature of the issue and the acceleration of urgent action
to mitigate climate change (Howarth, Parsons & Thew, 2020; Moser & Dilling, 2012).
In addition, climate change communication is also about finding practical ways to
develop climate change messaging and provide easy access to climate change
information.
This workshop is organized as a platform to interrogate the ways in which climate
change has been communicated, particularly in the context of Southern Africa. We
invite papers and contributions from researchers, policymakers and practitioners
discussing climate change research trends, policy directions, and advocacy initiatives.
We welcome explorations and analysis around the following broad themes:
• African epistemologies and indigenous knowledge of climate change.
• Decolonization of climate change research and communication.
• Climate change research and communication strategies.
• Concepts, Contexts and Principles of Climate Change Communication.
• Climate change policy and agenda setting.
• Climate change communication, knowledge sharing and co-production.
• Media logic and navigating climate change communication.
• Communicating climate change for effective climate action.
• The art of climate change advocacy
Following the workshop, paper presenters will be invited to submit their papers for an
edited book on climate change communication in Southern Africa. We are working on
securing a book contract with one of the leading publishers for the proposed edited
book..
This workshop is funded by the Planetary Utilization of Sustainability Strategies
(PLUS) Project with funds from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). For
more information about the PLUS project, please visit https://plus-
sustainability.org/about/
No registration fee is required to participate in this workshop.
Important dates to note:
• Call for abstracts: 12 December 2023.
• Submission of brief abstracts (250-300 words): 30 January 2024. Please
submit your abstract to orlandoe@ub.ac.bw with a cc to faimaug@ub.ac.bw
and othakadu@ub.ac.bw
• Notification of acceptance: 2 February 2024.
• Workshop dates: 8-9 February 2024.