Week 7 Reflection!!

Lindsay Harris

COMM 3824-01

2/28/19

Comm 3824 Reflection 7

            Climate Communication is not only a broad term, but also a rather vague one. The public does not necessarily get a lot of information about the environment on a daily basis. The Think 100% Podcast is a great solution for that, and in the episode I listened to (Episode 43), it touches on an occasion in which climate change got the most political attention it has in 10 years during a hearing in the House of Representatives. The host tells listeners that we must “dismantle the structure that divides us” because we often allow larger corporations and government organizations utilize stereotypes and alternative science to pit activists against one another. I also gathered a lot of important information from the article about “Science Under Trump.” It was interesting to find out that political leadership can strongly influence federal scientist’s morale, job satisfaction, and overall effectiveness. I suppose it makes sense to learn that intimidation from higher ups can often influence the release of scientific studies, because there is always a risk of a scientist’s job. Furthermore, Brulle’s article had some frightening facts about the state of our mission to reverse the effects of climate change. He says that we are very near to or are exceeding critical climate thresholds that are irreversible for more than 1,000 years. This is nerve-wracking considering how people attempt to use short term solutions for a problem of this magnitude.

            While listening to the Think 100% podcast and reading this week’s articles, I felt concern. To be fair, I always feel concerned about the environment, but it is easy to push it to the back of the mind and become preoccupied with other things. However listening to the facts and data are wildly disheartening. The article about how Entergy is going to profit from the burden they put on low income households is frustrating because the people in charge of these companies do not need more wealth. After listening to the podcast episode I understand how some listeners might have a difficult time figuring out what opinions to listen to and what facts are real versus made up in order to confuse the listener. I feel like people need a more effective way to get information about the environment. Sadly, not everyone cares about the environment enough to go searching for the facts, and with so many political figures making things up and denying climate change it is more critical than ever to find a platform to get across the facts and motivate people to participate in the fight to end climate change.

EDGI- Environmental Data and Governance Initiative- Works to obtain accurate data about climate change despite today's environmentally dishonest climate.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration- An agency of the United States Department of Labor. Congress established the agency under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Identity Campaigns- Campaigns based on the idea that environmental messages created by using cognitive science are most effective at influencing public opinion and therefore affecting legislative action.