Why does the communication of extreme weather matter?

Good does a framing analysis to explore the story of climate change at a specific moment. She argues that there should be a shift from "Is climate change happening" to "What should we do about it?". For her argument she employs a comparative analysis of American, Canadian and International newspapers to see how they are framing climate change. An example of this is the snowstorm that took place in New York. All news channels were covering the storm and talking about how big it was going to be. I also agree with my classmates in saying that news channel often over dramatize the weather and label it as breaking news or alerts. However, I think that the communication of extreme is very important no matter how they do it. Good explains that the framing of climate change has many different perspectives and there is always a discussion about whether or not scientist are correct in their findings and whether or not news is correct. For scientist, it is said that they lack communication skills and news channels lack factual information. However, I think that regardless of the news channel being right or wrong, or even the scientist, the communication of extreme weather matters no matter what. Individuals rely on media to find out what they should expect everyday and news channels rely on scientist for that information. It's more so a chain of communication. If the storm has turned out to be huge then everyone would have been thankful for the consistent storm updates for what to expect.

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/lmu7eu/snowpocalypse-2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abDSppJUD-0



An example that came to my mind during the discussion was the sudden severe storm that led to a flood in Toronto on July 8, 2013. Many commuters, families, tourist and residents were unaware of the upcoming storm. There was coverage for heavy rain but no mention of the chance of a flood. People were stranded for hours in their car waiting for emergency teams to come and rescue them. I remember that day really well because I had been working in Downtown Toronto that summer. I was commuting everyday back and forth from Niagara. During my workday, everyone had mentioned that there would be a storm but no one was panicking. When the day came to an end, everyone was on their way home and still there was no panic. Thankfully I finished work on time and caught the 4:30 p.m. bus back home. If I had stayed even a little later and taken the 5:15 p.m. bus I would have been stranded as well. When I came home, I remember my dad asking if everything was okay and I had no idea what he was talking about until I turned to my social media networks and news channels about what was going on. I was quite thankful for missing the flood that day but if I had been stranded, I would have hoped for news channel to communicate the warning early in the day. This is where I think extra caution in situations such as the New York storm is important because as climate change increases, the weather becomes unpredictable. Although, media channels may dramatize extreme weather coverage and scientist may not be able to communicate, the awareness of weather is important. Individuals need to time for preparation! Advancement in technology is the only way to better predict what's about to happen in specific areas, even if they may be wrong sometimes. Being prepared and knowing about it is beneficial regardless. Without communication, many would not have survived various other storms.

http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/08/14/july_flood_ontarios_most_costly_natural_disaster.html

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-floods-a-look-at-the-storm-s-toll-by-the-numbers-1.1359574

Who's winning the climate change framing battle?

Public relations is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or organization and the public. This is why many theorist such as Weaver et al refers to PR as the information management machinery. Greenberg approaches, "...PR as a mode of communication that is part of a conflict over political and economic power, but also as part of a wider struggle around the production and use of social meaning whose outcomes are more contingent" (Greenberg, J., (2011), p. 68). He begins his argument by touching on Habermas's theory of the public sphere which is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems. Years ago, this discussion began in salons, coffee shops and pubs and it was innocent of political and economic influence and power. However, now this form of discussion has lead to influence political action.

Greenberg touches on The David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) in order to explain how NGO is increasing its influence and PR industry connections to influence the global warming debate. They use tactics such as television and radio advertisements that promote both individual and government action to combat climate change. For advocacy groups, he uses the Friends of Science as an example. The PR tactics they use to spread information include the production of numerous material and information packages for the media and public. This includes a website, 23 minute video called Climate Catastrophe Cancelled, radio ads, climate change migration inittiatives and an annual public outreach luncheon in Calgary. They also mention organizations such as Greenpeace USA and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, however, their efforts in adapting PR strategies and tactics are minimal. Therefore, Greenberg's article discusses the importance of PR strategies and statics in getting the public attention. He mentions that advocacy groups have been successful in bringing the environment more and more into the media because of the adaptation of these strategies and tactics.

For my show and tell example: 

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2014/sep/23/leonardo-dicaprio-un-climate-change-summit-speech-video

Similar to Leonardo, President Mohammed Nasheed of the the Maldives in 2009 attended the  the UN summit on climate change to discuss action needed towards climate change. However, the summit ultimately failed to create any concrete commitments to resolving the issue. Now in 2015, Leonardo DiCaprio's is back at the UN summit for climate change to discuss the need to action towards climate change yet again. He mentions how little changes such as changing your light bulb will no longer make a difference. If our ecosystem collapses, the economy will die. Ultimately this will lead to the downfall of everything on earth.

Second example: 

Obama makes a similar statement about climate change by saying that we need to protect the only planet we have. Therefore, he has put a plan in place to address climate change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPtK9tm1kp4

http://www.weather.com/news/weather/video/president-obama-addresses-climate-change-in-the-state-of-the-union-address

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/highlights-of-obamas-plan-to-cut-carbon/263/

These two videos relate back to Lakeoff's article from last week where he mentioned that small changes are okay and do make a difference but political action is only way to create a meaning and strong change for these environmental issues. As been in these two videos, climate change is finally front of mind for many as politicians and celebrities are now ensuring that climate change isn't being neglected. PR strategies and tactics are finally being employed for spreading information about political action towards climate change. Therefore, it seems that soon there will be no mention of who's winning the climate change battle, but rather, an idea of coming together to resolve the problem will be implemented.

Why does it matter how we tell stories about the environment?

Solnit asks "Are we missing the big picture of climate change?" and I think we definitely are. There seems to be more concern on human interest than the interest of the ecosystem and natural environment. He says, "To grasp climate change, you have to think in terms of species and their future. To know how things have already changed, you have to remember how they used to be...". This relates to the idea not knowing who you are until you discover where you came from. Therefore, he points out that if we didn't pay attention to species before then we would have no idea about how much they have decline. Thanks to scientific data collection we are able to tell how many birds died due to the 2010 BP Oil Spill. He concludes his article by stating tell we should tell stories that make us alarmed about our conventional energy sources. The birds that died shouldn`t be our only focus, but rather we should think about survival for whole species and the nature of the planet. I think I would have to agree with Solnit about this. Yes these types of story that alarm us are scary but their important to tell because we respond to fear and ultimately take action to protect ourselves. If stories weren`t framed in an alarming manner, I think that everyone would take the topic lightly and follow through with what they do in daily activities. However, I also think that little changes and cut backs won`t do much either. Even though, often enough the media frames the idea of protecting the environment through minor cutbacks.

Lakeoff refers to hypercognition which refers to forms of knowledge, awareness and thought that go beyond the familiar norm. He says that this is something that we are suffering from because human don`t understand that the environment is tied to us greatly. It`s also tied to issue areas such as economics, energy, food, health, trade and security. Ultimately, what he means is that we nothing without nature because it`s our other half. I agree him in saying that little changes are great as mentioned above, but political action is greatly missing. Without this, nothing can be achieved in terms of change. This is where frames come in. Framing is the act, process, or manner in which something is constructed. This refers to how the media communicators use words to activate certain frames and ultimately shape public opinion. This relates to the idea of agenda-setting as media presents what they want the audience to think about and believe. Therefore, how we tell stories about the environment and how it is framed is very important because it shapes our actions. By telling stories through animated films or scaring the public through action films, they are framing the idea of there still being enough time to protect the environment if human activity is changed. Repeated messages and/or frames resonate with people better then if the environment is framed using frames that people aren't familiar with. If they don't understand it then they will ignore it! Therefore, it is important for political action to take place in order to keep this top front of mind and ensure change to save the environment.

January 22nd: Show and Tell

For my show and tell this week I brought in an ad for Tide. Their campaign called "Green" Your Household is focused around the idea of households doing their part to creating a change for issues such as global warming, climate change, alternative fuel and renewable energy. Their online information says, "...there are small, easy changes we can all make in our day-to-day lives that have a big effect on the environment. Not only can these practices help in reducing the negative impact we place on the plant, but they can also save you money!" (http://www.tide.com/en-US/article/green-your-household.jspx). This relates to the idea of framing as mentioned by Lakoff. According to Lakoff, all thinking and talking involves framing because a single word can activate not only its defining frame but also much of the  system its defining is on. In this advertisement, the idea of global warming, climate change and doing your part is all activating different frames at once in the mind of consumers. As mentioned in class we all want to do or part in making the environment a better place. Therefore, advertisements that encourage us to make small changes help us to believe that little actions are making a difference. They frame the issue and product in such a way that we feel we are doing our part. However, Lakeoff also mentions that these small changes aren`t the only actions that will create a change, ultimately political action is still needed to ensure the survival of all.

http://www.tide.com/en-US/article/green-your-household.jspx

How we know what we know about the environment?

For me, I know about the environment because of what I've given taught through school, volunteer activities and the media. When I was little I always used to watch the Magic School Bus and it was one of my favourite shows. They talked about various topics that related to the environment such as exploring the ocean, the world of animals, weather and the environment in general. I think that these types of shows are really beneficial to have when growing up because they make us more aware and educate us about the world around us. I think that if I didn't watch the Magic School Bus, I wouldn't know how certain parts of the ecosystem work. For example, I remember watching one show where they explained beehives and how they work. The episode starts off with them questioning whether or not they should be taking honey from beehives. Tim argues that the bees have honey so that we can take it. This relates to the reading from last week which talks about the environment being there for the human taking. The MA Board released 10 key messaged after the assessment which basically outlined how humans were living beyond their means and what it was doing to the environment. After analyzing the beehive in the show, the characters later identify that the flower pollen is put into the honey combs and then they fan and stir the nectar until the water evaporates. After which it becomes thick honey and lasts longer for bees. They also mention how bees need honey to feed themselves and their babies. Although in the end of the episode they do take honey away from the beehive, I think what they were trying to communicate was that we need to take care of environment otherwise we shouldn't be taking a part of it away from them. With little messages such as this in shows like the Magic School Bus, I think we begin we know what we know about the environment at at very young age. However, I don't think we fully understand it until we get a really older and actually understand what was being communicated to us. Nonetheless, shows like this are key components to understand the role the environment plays for us everyday and they help us understand that our relationship with the environment is a give and take type of scenario. This relates to what was being discussed in class in regards to FernGully and what message the movie was trying to put out. The media plays a huge role in educating us about the environment. However, as we become older I think we reply too much on technology to teach us instead of experiencing the environment and understanding it's value.

Episode Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gLRdxJPvOU

Environmental Autobiography

In high school, I was always encouraged to care about the environment. By doing little things, we could create a much larger change. Often in classes, we would do little things such as turning off the lights during hot summer days and using sunlight to keep the room lit up. Or we collect used batteries from the whole school and recycle them. Most importantly, every Thursday was garbage day. On this day all garbage would be collected and sorted into the right compartments. During this time, we didn't have big fancy organized bins for each classroom. Therefore, students weren't really in the habit of recycling anything.

After reaching grade eleven, I decided to become a part to spreading these types of messages around the school. Therefore, I became a part of environmental communication when I joined the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee in grade eleven. Five students from each of the five high schools in Niagara Falls were selected through an application process to become a part of this committee. The members were seen as a communication link between youth and City Council as they worked together to make Niagara Falls a better place for everyone. We had many different sub committees for members to choose from. However, each member had to be on at least two committees. One of the sub-committees I chose was in charge of hosting a Green Week for all of the elementary and high schools in Niagara Falls. Throughout the year we worked hard to organize different activities and events for the week of April 19^th to 23^rd. Earth day fell into this week as well. Some of the activities for the event included a Moonlight Monday, Trash Snatch Thursday, Fresh Air Friday and a Green Art Show. Moonlight Monday encouraged elementary and high schools to turn off their lights and computers for one hour during the day. For Trash Snatch Thursday students cleaned their school yard by picking up all the litter they could find. Fresh Air Friday asked everyone high school to plant one tree in their yard to recall and respect the week. The final event for the week was a Green Art Show where students were encouraged to create art work from recycled material. By encouraging the youth to become active in sustaining our environment, I began a part of environmental communication for the community.

Another initiative the whole committee took part in was called Adopt-a-Street. This is when a street is adopted under the committees name and we ultimately become in charge of its maintenance. Therefore, every month we would put on our gloves and pick up garage along the street. We always made sure to recycle anything we found and put litter in garbage bags. Similarly, in April we assisted the community with an event called Community Clean Sweep. Various volunteers from all over the community would come out on a Saturday or Sunday and pick up garage all over the city of Niagara Falls. Our main goal was to sustain the beauty of our environment by keeping it clean and tidy as much as possible.

After finishing my two year term in the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee, I didn't have the chance to organize more community events or activities that would help the environment. However, I do remember that when I was in my Geography class in high school, the environment unit was my favourite. I designed a whole project around the concept of my ecological footprint and what needed to be done in order to reduce my results. However, after that I didn't get a chance to take more courses on environment until now. Nonetheless, I would say that my relationship with the natural environment continued to develop in a different aspect. By going for hikes, nature walks, visiting gardens and exploring different natural parks around the Niagara Region, I expressed my love and awe for the natural environment. I had never been interested in hiking along the natural environment. Actually during school trips, I often didn't like the idea because I was afraid of so many animals and didn't like bugs. I think that I have built a different perspective on the environment due to what I had learned about it. Otherwise before when I was younger I wasn't educated enough to know that every aspect of the environment is important. Now I feel the natural environment is being communicated to me as something that needs to be saved. I like seeing its natural beauty but when I find litter around these parks I feel others don’t realize what they’re doing. Although, there is a need for a larger group of people trying to recycle and sustain our resources it’s really hard to change the habits of the ones that don’t care too much about it. However, I would hope that in the future this would change as we become more and more concise of how we contribute to the sustainability of the environment.

My artifact for this class is a newspaper article that I was featured in: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2010/04/14/niagara-falls-students-seeing-green