Talk about it : the role of private-sphere conversations in climate crisis communication
Wullenkord, Marlis LU
and Johansson, Maria
LU
(2025)
p.62-74
- Abstract
- Private-sphere conversations about global environmental change play an important role in environmental communication. However, they receive less attention than information campaigns aimed at raising awareness, educating, or challenging the public. From a psychological perspective, it is increasingly recommended to talk about global environmental change and the emotions it evokes as a way of coping with its overwhelming and existential nature. Previous research and our study with Swedish adults show that private-sphere conversations about climate change and biodiversity loss constitute relevant environmental communication. Private conversations are multifaceted and include various topics involving physical environmental, societal, and... (More)
- Private-sphere conversations about global environmental change play an important role in environmental communication. However, they receive less attention than information campaigns aimed at raising awareness, educating, or challenging the public. From a psychological perspective, it is increasingly recommended to talk about global environmental change and the emotions it evokes as a way of coping with its overwhelming and existential nature. Previous research and our study with Swedish adults show that private-sphere conversations about climate change and biodiversity loss constitute relevant environmental communication. Private conversations are multifaceted and include various topics involving physical environmental, societal, and personal dimensions. Climate change conversations centered more on impacts, while conversations about biodiversity loss included more discussions of causes. Conversations were related to pro-environmental action and weakly to mental health: the more the people talked about crises and their emotions, the more active they were and the better they felt. Our findings may support readers in having constructive conversations about global environmental crises that can benefit themselves, others, and the environment. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/7516ed8e-8201-4263-9fd1-4c0d71576509
- author
- Wullenkord, Marlis
LU
and Johansson, Maria
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Conversation, Eco-emotions, Pro-environmental behavior, Climate change, Biodiversity loss
- host publication
- Routledge handbook on climate crisis communication
- editor
- Anderson, Alison and Howarth, Candace
- pages
- 13 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105008835908
- ISBN
- 978-1-003-04425-3
- 978-0-367-49054-6
- 978-1-041-03277-9
- DOI
- 10.4324/9781003044253
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 7516ed8e-8201-4263-9fd1-4c0d71576509
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-31 11:21:22
- date last changed
- 2025-08-29 06:12:36
@inbook{7516ed8e-8201-4263-9fd1-4c0d71576509,
abstract = {{Private-sphere conversations about global environmental change play an important role in environmental communication. However, they receive less attention than information campaigns aimed at raising awareness, educating, or challenging the public. From a psychological perspective, it is increasingly recommended to talk about global environmental change and the emotions it evokes as a way of coping with its overwhelming and existential nature. Previous research and our study with Swedish adults show that private-sphere conversations about climate change and biodiversity loss constitute relevant environmental communication. Private conversations are multifaceted and include various topics involving physical environmental, societal, and personal dimensions. Climate change conversations centered more on impacts, while conversations about biodiversity loss included more discussions of causes. Conversations were related to pro-environmental action and weakly to mental health: the more the people talked about crises and their emotions, the more active they were and the better they felt. Our findings may support readers in having constructive conversations about global environmental crises that can benefit themselves, others, and the environment.}},
author = {{Wullenkord, Marlis and Johansson, Maria}},
booktitle = {{Routledge handbook on climate crisis communication}},
editor = {{Anderson, Alison and Howarth, Candace}},
isbn = {{978-1-003-04425-3}},
keywords = {{Conversation; Eco-emotions; Pro-environmental behavior; Climate change; Biodiversity loss}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{62--74}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
title = {{Talk about it : the role of private-sphere conversations in climate crisis communication}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003044253}},
doi = {{10.4324/9781003044253}},
year = {{2025}},
}