SLU to host major research programme in environmental communication

The programme builds on the well-established research and teaching expertise at SLU’s Division of Environmental Communication, and on SWEDESD’s (Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development) international work on education for sustainable development.

The programme will be led by Anke Fischer, professor in environmental communication at the Department of Urban and Rural Development at SLU, and Eva Friman, director of SWEDESD. The work is inter- and transdisciplinary and involves academics at Lund University, the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, Charles University Prague, and the University of Texas at Austin. Importantly, the consortium also includes 28 societal partners, covering a wide range of environmental and sustainability concerns and perspectives – from climate action to nature conservation, hunting and agriculture, and from the local to the national and international level.

Eva Friman says: "We are absolutely thrilled! The Mistra research programme in Environmental Communication is a unique opportunity for us to make a real difference both in academic and applied terms, and to support Sweden's transformation to a more sustainable society."

Anke Fischer explains: "Our goal is to shape how communication is understood and done in Sweden and internationally. Environmental communication is still often simply regarded as the transmission of information, assuming that if people just had full information they would change their behaviour. We want to mainstream a broader understanding that takes into account the different roles of and interactions between actors in communication, going beyond those that might be traditionally considered as experts, and include also, for example, artists, companies, land users and the wider public. We are very much looking forward to this collaborative endeavour."

More information

Contact person

Anke Fischer
Professor in Environmental Communication
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Division of Environmental Communication
Department of Urban and Rural Development
+46 (0)18 67 35 56, +44 7964 418367, anke.fischer@slu.se
https://www.slu.se/cv/anke-fischer/

News article (in Swedish) by Mistra (The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research)

https://www.mistra.org/nyhet/54-msek-till-forskningsprogram-om-miljokommunikation/