Abstract

The relevance of new media in environmental sustainability has become increasingly clear as societies face the challenges of climate change. Climate change communication should focus on critical analysis of environmental issues by gathering information; organizing information; interpreting information to the society through the mass media. However, it remains obvious that for any policy decisions especially those on environment related issues to have reflective influence on people’s lives and the lives of their future generations, the media should play a crucial role in educating and making people environmentally conscious. This discourse is a reflection of the role of the new media toward ensuring the shaping public opinion and influencing policy decisions on environmental sustainability matters. Hinged on the democratic participant and media richness theories, the study discusses the potentials of the social media in climate change communication and concludes that lack of information is a militating factor in the climate change fight.

Key Words: Sustainability, New Media, Climate Change, Media Challenges

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 2012, 119 –  132.

© Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the authors

[1]Doris Ngozi Morah is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Madonna University, Okija, Nigeria.

^**Chinwe Elizabeth Uzochukwu is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Nigeria.

Full Article

Words: 7,505; Pages: 14