Environment, Science & Risk Communication Section
The objective of this Section is to provide a forum at IAMCR conferences and beyond for scholars researching in the field of environmental, science and risk communication to present and discuss their research. A second objective is to provide a focal point - through the visibility afforded via IAMCR for contact and networking among scholars interested in this sub-field of media and communication research.
Co-chair: Kerrie Foxwell-Norton (Griffith University, Australia) [contact]
Co-chair: Maitreyee Mishra (Manipal Institute of Communication, MAHE, India & Universität Heidelberg, Germany) [contact]
Vice-chair: Joana Díaz-Pont (Autonomous university of Barcelona, Political Science and Public Law, Spain) [contact]
Vice-chair: Pieter Maeseele (University of Antwerp, Belgium) [contact]
As environmental challenges, notably climate change and its impacts, rise exponentially in all parts of the world, communication becomes ever more critical to developing our responses to realised and impending crises. From local communities to the global network of communication and media that crisscross the globe, communication about our local places and environments is pervasive. The Environment, Science and Risk Communication section of the IAMCR held its first session in 1988 and has since focused its attention on interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approaches to environmental and science communication, such as political ecology; social and deep ecology; feminist theory; public sphere; political theory; political economy; cultural studies; geography, science, and technology studies; history; literary studies; film studies and many others.
Deeply international in nature, we explore the role of media and other stakeholders in reporting and communicating about a plethora of environmental issues that include climate change, energy-related conflicts, conservation, and others. Examples of topic areas include: environmental and science communication, activism and journalism; social and political constructions of Nature; corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting; spin and news management of environmental conflict and scientific controversies; public understanding, participation and engagement with science and the environment; risk and disaster communication; Indigenous perspectives on Nature and the non-human.
As a Section, we are particularly committed to the inclusion of diverse ontologies and epistemologies that capture the global environmental experiences and the human/nature relations therein. Our section pursues issues of social and environmental justice - in our own conduct and in supporting a global community of researchers who in various ways, seek the same.
See the list of all current members of the Environment, Science & Risk Communication Section.
ESR Newsletter Dec 2023
The Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group regularly issues newsletters with information of interest to its members. The December 2023 issue includes the call for papers for IAMCR 2024, and information about an upcoming working group's business meeting. Download the newsletter here.
IAMCR 2024 - Call for proposals
IAMCR's Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites submissions for IAMCR 2024, which will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 30 June to 4 July 2024. The deadline for submission is 7 February 2024, at 23.59 UTC.
ESR Newsletter Jan-Feb 2023
The Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group issued its latest newsletter with a reminder of the IAMCR 2023 abstract submission deadline, a call for reviewers and information about the Climate Communication Awards. Download it in PDF format.
IAMCR 2023 - Call for proposals
IAMCR's Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group invites proposals for IAMCR 2023, to be held in Lyon, France, from 9 to 13 July (Lyon23) with an Online Conference Papers (OCP23) component from 26 June to 5 July. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2023, at 23.59 UTC.
ESR Newsletter April-May 2022
The Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group regularly issues newsletters with information of interest to its members. The current issue includes information about IAMCR 2022, a pre-conference event, awards and a call for papers for a special issue of Science Communication.
IAMCR Beijing 2022 - Call for proposals
IAMCR's Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2022, which will be held online from 11 to 15 July 2022. The conference will also have a national hub at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2021, at 23.59 UTC.
Call for Candidates - S&WG Head elections 2021
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group (ESR) will be holding online elections for two co-Chair and three Vice-Chair positions, for the term 2021 - 2025. The deadline to submit candidacies is 16 May.
ESR Newsletter April 2021
The Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group regularly issues newsletters with information of interest to its members. The April newsletter includes information about IAMCR 2021 reviewing process, a CfP and a call for expressions of interest of an ESR webinar.
IAMCR 2021: ESR WG list of reviewers
The Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group of IAMCR received 73 abstracts out of which 48 were accepted. In the end, about 240 reviews were carried out by a team of 57 of our peers whom we are most thankful for their engagement. See the list of reviewers here.
ESR Newsletter February 2021
The Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group issued its first newsletter of the year with information of interest to its members, including a call for expressions of interest for an ESR webinar and reminders of upcoming deadlines.
IAMCR 2021 call for proposals - Deadline 9 February
IAMCR's Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group invites the submission of proposals for single papers and multi-paper sessions (the online conference equivalent of a panel in a face to face conference) for IAMCR 2021, which will be held online from 11 to 15 July, with a regional hub in Nairobi, Kenya. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2021, at 23.59 UTC.
IAMCR 2020 call for proposals - Deadline 10 February
IAMCR's Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group invites the submission of abstracts of papers and proposals for panels for the 2020 conference of the Association, which will be held from 12 to 16 July, 2020 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
CfP - Environmental Communication
Proposals for papers to be published in a joint initiative of the Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group of IAMCR and the Science and Environment Communication Section of ECREA will be received until 15 February 2018. The book will be published in the IAMCR/Palgrave Series "Global Transformations in Media and Communication Research".
Letter to ESR members - November 2017
This report from Pieter Maeseele, chair of the Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group, was sent to the members of the group in November 2017.
IAMCR 2018 call for proposals - Deadline 31 January
The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) will hold its annual conference from 20-24 June 2018 at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Section Head Election 2017 - Call for Candidates and statements
The IAMCR Environment, Science & Risk Communication Working Group will run partial elections for a co-vice chair position during its business meeting during the IAMCR2017 at Cartagena.
You can find here the call and the statements.
IAMCR 2017 call for proposals - Deadline 9 February
The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) will hold its annual conference from 16-20 July, 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia.
IAMCR 2016 - Call for Proposals - Deadline 15 February
The IAMCR Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites submissions of abstracts for papers for the 2016 IAMCR conference to be held from July 27-31 July, 2016 at the University of Leicester in the UK.
IAMCR 2015: Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group- Deadline 9 February
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites submissions of abstracts for papers for the 2015 IAMCR conference to be held from 12-16 July, 2015 at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal, Canada.
IAMCR 2014: Working Group Environment, Science and Risk Communication -CfP - Deadline 10 February
IAMCR Hyderabad 2014
Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research
Hyderabad, India - 15-19 July, 2014
Theme: ‘Region as Frame: Politics, Presence, Practice’
IAMCR 2013 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group - Call for Papers
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites submissions of abstracts for papers for the 2013 IAMCR conference to be held from June 25-29, 2013 at Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
The deadline for submissions is January 28, 2013.
The conference will be held under the general theme, ‘Crises, 'Creative Destruction' and the Global Power and Communication Orders’. The general conference theme is thus highly relevant to the increasingly global communication, power and crisis themes and concerns that are central to the Environment, Science and Risk Communication Group.
IAMCR 2012 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group Call for Papers
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites submissions of abstracts for papers for the 2012 IAMCR conference to be held from July 15-19, 2012 at the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South Africa. The deadline for submissions is February 14, 2012.
The conference will be held under the general theme, 'South-North Conversations'. The theme reflects the asymmetry of global communication flows, but without implying the negatives that usually accompany discussions of the 'digital divide'. The theme also calls for balanced and empowering narratives that do not regard those in ‘the South’ as victims primarily in need of handouts from the more affluent. The general conference theme is thus highly relevant to the increasingly global communication themes and concerns that are central to the Environment, Science and Risk Communication Group.
Istanbul 2011 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group Call for Papers
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 2011 International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, 13-17 July 2011.
Papers from the full range of environment-science-risk-communication topics and perspectives will be considered, and those relating to the conference theme 'Cities, Creativity, Connectivity' will be particularly welcome.
Braga 2010 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group Call for Papers
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 2010 International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference in Braga, Portugal, July 18-22, 2010.
Papers from the full range of environment-science-risk-communication topics and perspectives will be considered, and those relating to the conference theme 'Communication and Citizenship: Rethinking Crisis and Change' will be particularly welcome.
Mexico 2009 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group Call for Papers
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 2009 International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference in Mexico City, Mexico, July 21-24, 2009.
Papers from the full range of environment-science-risk-communication topics and perspectives will be considered, and those relating to the conference theme ‘Human Rights and Communication' will be particularly welcome.
Stockholm 2008 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group Call for Papers
EXTENDED DEADLINE: 15 FEBRUARY 2008!
The Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 2008 International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, July 20-25, 2008.
Papers from the full range of environment-science-risk-communication topics and perspectives will be considered, and those relating to the conference theme 'Media and Global Divides' will be particularly welcome.
Paris 2007 - Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group Call for Papers
The Environmental Issues, Science and Risk Communication Working Group invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 2007 IAMCR Conference in Paris (23-25 July).
Following the well attended, lively and successful sessions of the
Environmental Issues, Science and Risk Communication Working Group at
the IAMCR Conferences in Budapest (2001), Barcelona (2002), Porto
Alegre (2004) and Cairo (2006), it is a pleasure to be able to announce
that space has been secured for this Group to be active also in this
year's 50th Anniversary Conference in Paris.