CLIMATE CHANGE TODAY!

From the Mass Communications & Society Journal, I bring your attention to the article, Are Issue-Cycles Culturally Constructed? A Comparison of French and American Coverage of Global Climate Change

To be brief, Yes! In this instance we can conclude that French and US media asserts different angles in the media to gain attention to the topic of Global Climate Change. What is particularly useful is what they find influences these different constructs.

While at first it seems sort of obvious, what’s “hot” for Americans is not necessarily “hot” for French people. Americans love controversy and the bigger the soap opera the better.

In discussing this article with my fellow Cohort at MEEC, one person offered an explanation to the French scheme of reporting, which the articles identifies as more inclined to be relayed in context with international agreements, in consideration of France bargaining for power and co-operation within the European Union.

I would tend to sum up my impression and what I found particularly valuable, by picking up the reference in the first part of the conclusion that states “journalistic culture can be a major influence on the coverage of an international environmental issue such as global warming”. Within the study, the limitations placed on both the French and US journalist practices were noted and it was interpreted that French journalists have “less autonomy from power elites in France than the US.”

I would question here who and what we consider to be the “powerful elites” in both nations. On one hand it is implied that French government is tied to that elite. In the United States, the role corporations play in the development of domestic and international policy poses significant questions when we consider who is behind the scenes, pulling the strings at the puppetry of reporting.

I would be more interested to explore how it is that investigative journalism is supposed to represent both sides, despite the fact that the body of evidence weighs heavier on one side than the other. Such is the case with the IPCC. Here we have a international community of scientists who are dedicated to investigating the various life supporting mechanisms of planet, and consolidating these finding to present a comprehensive, and comprehensible report. On the other side, you have a few “maverick” scientists funded by corporations raising dissent. How is that representative of popular opinion? If the air waves were a country under the parliamentary system, they would not even have a seat in house – they would be the Green Party of Canada!



What I would really like to know, is what journalistic conditions are ideal for reporting global catastrophes?

To this before mentioned articles credit, I think it is an important part of the puzzle in understanding the big picture question posted above.

Interesting Stuff...
Brossard, D., Shanahan, J., & McComas, K. (2004). Are issue-cycles culturally constructed? A comparison of French and American coverage of global climate change. Mass Communication & Society, 7(3), 359-377.

Environmental Communication Research - Will a journal aid the journey?

I would have taken for granted that a journal specifically dedicated to debating and testing hypothesis related to Environmental Communication Research exists.

It just seems like such an obvious piece to analyze. What will bridge the gap between environmental science and environmental policy?

(and in flies comes Al Gore with his red cape)

I assumed the article, The literature of environmental communication, from the Public Understanding of Science magazine was about how the story of Environmental Communications is pervading (judging by the title). I assumed it would look more specifically at the international reaction of the IPCC reports, as this paper is following the third assessment (now that I have noted the date of the article publications at 2002).

As a Canadian I feel constantly alerted and warned about the increasing likelihood of the impending consequences of climate change, (droughts, floods, rising sea levels and loss of shoreline property). How is the story being told beyond the impact reports?? How are people receiving and responding to these stories?

As this article is 7 years old, I hope to discover that there is in fact a journal dedicated to the peer review study of how the world is absorbing climate change information. Oh, whatever, I will just google it.

This jounal is brand spankin’ new and looking for submissions to its 3rd volume.

Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture

I cannot really think of a more appropriate title.

Global Convenience Store

"Just another tequila sunrise..."


Sherese: "What do you feel like eating tonight"

Lydia: "Macaroni - but I want to put in the cheese."

Sherese: "How about we go for sushi. You like the seaweed snack from Super Store. Do you want to try sushi? We can practice using chopsticks."

Lydia: "No, how about we go have butter chicken."

Sherese: done.


The dialogue above I have written to illustrate the title of this post, global convenience store. Back in the 80's my mom would just throw some veggies and beef in the electric wok if we were going to get exotic. Now I simply walk out the front door and can sample a variety of foods from a plethora of countries. True, I now live in the city opposed to the small town of CR. But most of us are (The mill in CR closed down last November).

I like the comparison McKibben makes from the term Global Village to reveal what it certainly seems to be - A Global Convenience Store. I think of Sun Quest holidays and how for one week of every year, the resort beaches of Cuba are as much nature as most of my friends have seen in that fiscal year. FOR $1500 DOLLARS YOU CAN DO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING YOU COULD WANT TO ON A BEACH. (Or as my daughter told me, "Mama if we go to Mexico, we can have free drinks) I have never been on an all inclusive, and I imagine I am far too tainted in my consideration of the various ways I have come to understand how this pastime is depleting the earths resources. As righteous as that sounds, it is true. The industrially developed nations comprise 20% of the worlds population, but consume %80 of the worlds resources. After a few more mojitos, I might even tell start quizzing you on whether you think men or women have the largest carbon footprint, and you better not get it wrong. (Although when I was asked this question, I thought it women because of the Soccer Mom image -SUV, driving kids around here and there). But men flying business class *slap head in wake up motion* of course.

Point being, and what I think he gets at, is how the electronic environment supplants our interaction with the places we inhabit. Now of course, I find this fascinating right now because of the emergence of internet, googling, on-line communities, chats, networking and second life. (a virtual world where people have avatars and can act out many many scenarios). But McKibben himself is now organizing a global campaign on the internet to bring the "global village' to a consensus that this planet needs desperate action to reduce out current 450 plus ppm of CO2 to 350. McKibben, what is that all about?

What do time and bats have in common?

Cyclical vs. linear time. Interesting, interesting. I don't get it. Can we have both?? That would be a spiral I suppose.

McKibben talks about Economists who are worried about building sustainable societies that revolve around a finite amount of goods, using the same amount of resources year after year. He mentions that this can only happen when we change the parameters of the game of growth, that is measured in relation to how it progress with time.


I had the please of meeting with a past cohort from the MAEEC course who does a lot of work in the area of sustainable transportation, mainly with youth. When talking with him about the cycle of my program and the grant duration, he began to shift the programming into seasons, rather than talk of "quarters". By changing the language of how the program would be developed and delivered, it became more about the people I was trying to reach rather then how to designate funding.

I like how McKibben brings this into the book "The Missing Age of Information", and challenges us to think about an electronic environment of time. I look at this blog post and can see the date stamp, and how I have the ability to post ideas and thoughts from today as if they were from my past. How can this medium distort our historical records I wonder??

We are All prey

A new favorite short clip for me these days is "Target Women". Sarah Haskin does an excellent job of exposing the type of messages that assume a certain stereotype of women, even today.

The Age of Missing Information, written in the early 90's is interesting in that in depicts just how far the content on the air waves will go to convince you of adopting a reality they want you to have. Where have things gone in the past 17 years? Now when we go to the washroom at the local White Spot I stare at the Pantene Pro V commercial that I probably saw watching "Wake Up Vancouver" and in the Daily newspaper on my way to work. Before I go to bed, I might watch CSI and see an ad for that same product 3 times. My capacity to deal with various needs is crippled under the abundance of stuff that I am told I need. Better hair, better job, better family, better butt...the list goes on. Amidst this all, and the pressure to operate in an urbanized society, do I really need to go outside??


My Ecological Identity tells me that I do, that we all do. The strongest bonds I have made with people have occurred in the outdoors. That point of reference for building enduring relationships has been irreplaceable. I suspect that if most activists spent as much time together outdoors as they do brainstorming campaign strategies in the boardroom, much more would be accomplished in the long run.

The Alter of Television

I love this book! It speaks so much to how much of my life experience has been related to others. (Sad and unoriginal, but true). “TV the great reference.” Recently my father (who never had an issue with expressing himself to say the least) made reference to Howie Mandel. While the name sounded familiar, I couldn’t put a face or context to him at all. His response was, “Where the hell have you been? You are so frign’ out of touch.” Granted he had knocked a few whiskey down, which always seems to make for a livelier conversation, but his comment is representative of what I have experienced much of my life.

Not identifying with television, either through popular phrases like Bart Simpson’s “Don’t have a cow man!” or as McKibben talk about wit the Brady Bunch theme song is a huge offence to people. Not sharing in these experiences can lead youth to be ostracized, and adults left out around the water cooler. A television saaviness is akin to a Christian or Muslims ability to pick-up on parables from the bible or Koran.

I learned to look convincingly disappointed and inquire with sincerity "Who did get voted off the island, I go to yoga on Thursday nights." (really I don't but whatever. This ability has protected my social capital in most instances. Especially in new workplaces. Thankfully I now know how to pull off a don't give a damn attitude by spicing it up with some self deprecating humour. I don't have cable, and now feel disturbed watching most of what is on. Though I do appreciate South Park, American Dad, Futorama, and The Simpsons (But as a good friend says, "Simpson's should bow out gracefully and let the offspring take over.")

Why do we like these animations? I always thought it interesting to witness how these shows who so obviously, (and to some degree less obviously), point fun at our cultural nuances are so mainstream, accepted, and continue to evolve. We like that satire I suppose, because of the truth associated with much of the commentary. Honesty is just so refreshing! After bombardments by Adds claiming we are not good enough unless our hair nestles like silk on our peaches and cream body, the raw humour these satirical animations provides allows us to catch our breath and think, "Everyone is F@#$C*d, it is not just me." Now please excuse me, I have to catch the Daily show with John Stewart to bone up on my American politics.

Customer Appreciation

July 15th

Just bought my copy of McKibben today…finally. Bizarre to note that when I checked my e-mail later I received an e-mail from McKibben himself. Not because I was his one millionth customer. He is lead on the global campaign www.350.org. 350 is the ‘safe’ level of carbon to exist in our atmosphere without boiling the planet. Not many Canadians have heard of it though (not surprising as we are not the quickest to pick up trends). I think this messaging will be promising to pressure the politically privileged. I can’t say exactly why yet, but I hope to get into that when I get to RRU.