Lauren Feldman: Communicating Hope and Fear in a Context of Climate Emergency

Scholars, journalists, and activists continue to debate the role of emotional messaging in climate change communication. This talk will consider existing theory and research on the role of emotions, especially fear and hope, in public engagement and activism around climate change. Particular attention will be paid to how media, including both news and entertainment, evoke emotions about climate change, with the potential to both activate and alienate publics.

• Borum Chattoo, C. & Feldman, L (2020). A comedian and an activist walk into a bar: The serious role of comedy in social justice. University of California Press. [Chapter 6: "Can laughter help save the planet? Comedy's role in communicating about climate change"] 
• Feldman, L., & Hart, P. S. (2018). Is there any hope? How climate change news imagery and text influence audience emotions and support for mitigation policies. Risk Analysis, 38(3), 585-602. 
• Feldman, L., & Hart, P. S. (2016). Using political efficacy messages to increase climate activism: The mediating role of emotions. Science Communication, 38(1), 99-127. 
• Marlon, J.,Bloodhart, B., Ballew, M., Rolfe-Redding, J.,Roser-Renouf, C., Leiserowitz, A., &Maibach, E. (2019). How hope and doubt affect climate change mobilization. Frontiers in Communication, 4, 20. 
• Chapman, D. A., Lickel, B., & Markowitz, E. M. (2017). Reassessing emotion in climate change communication. Nature Climate Change, 7(12), 850-852.