Climate change is arguably one of the most important issues of our time, but how do we perceive and how do we talk about it? Susanne C. Moser has identified the various difficulties that arise when trying to understand and communicate the phenomenon that is climate change.
On the basis of her paper "Communicating Climate Change – History, Challenges, Process and Future Directions" I have analysed two American environmental documentaries – Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and Leonardo DiCaprio's "The 11th Hour" – on how they each deal with aforementioned difficulties and have tried to determine which one can be regarded as 'better' or 'more successful' in terms of getting the message across.
The films shall be analyzed according to their structure, their scientific accuracy (if possible), their approach to the subject and the way in which they deal with the afore mentioned problems in a successful communication of climate change. Afterwards it shall be tried to assess whether it can be said that one of the two documentaries is more successful at 'getting the message across" and if such should be the case, reasons for this will be discussed.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The environmental documentary as a genre
3. Ethical considerations in speaking about the environment
4. The challenges of depicting and communicating climate change and resulting implications for communicators
5. Climate change as a topic of environmental documentaries – Two different approaches
5.1 An Inconvenient Truth
5.2 11th Hour
6. Comparison and Conclusion
7. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Topics
This thesis examines the effectiveness of climate change communication in environmental documentary films, specifically analyzing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth and Leonardo DiCaprio's 11th Hour through the lens of established communication theory and ecocinema studies.
- The role of the environmental documentary as a genre for social change.
- Ethical and communication challenges in addressing the abstract nature of climate change.
- Comparative analysis of narrative structures, framing, and messenger credibility.
- Scientific accuracy and audience adaptation in environmental filmmaking.
- Strategies to overcome public disbelief and cognitive dissonance regarding climate impacts.
Excerpt from the Book
Complexity, uncertainty and reasons for non-action
With regard to the immense complexity of und uncertainty connected with climate change it can be said that An Inconvenient Truth handles this problem fairly well. As already mentioned in chapter 4 of this paper, it is necessary for communicators of climate change to address the facts that global warming does indeed have multiple causes and that because of the complexity resulting from these multiple causes - and of course because of other influences as well - it is extremely difficult to foresee the consequences with absolute accuracy.
Gore does this in a couple of instances, for example when explaining the relationship between carbon dioxide levels and temperature in chapter 9 of AIT. As in the case of Africa and South America Gore visualizes – here with the use of computer model graphs - how over the millennia increases and decreases in carbon dioxide levels have coincided with increases and decreases in temperature. This might appear overly simplified, Gore admits however that “the relationship is actually very complicated” (Ch.9) and thereby expresses that the actual workings behind rising temperatures are more difficult, but that when you break it down to the essentials it comes down to the fact that “when there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer, because it traps more heat from the sun inside [the atmosphere]” (Ch.9).
Gore has been criticized by various scientists for this kind of oversimplification. It can be argued however that rising carbon dioxide levels play an immensely important role in global warming and are in fact probably the only point which can in any way be influenced by people (in terms of the person in the street). We have no real direct influence on politics, as even if we vote for politicians pledging to support policies which protect the environment, they might always for reasons of ambition, greed or simply out of human fickleness change their opinions. What we can do however is reduce our own carbon footprint and therefore it seems obvious that when addressing causes for global warming the focus should be on the role of carbon dioxide even if adding that the problem is more complex than that. There is no need to overwhelm people with scientific information if the aim is ‘to get the point across’ and this also seems to be Gore’s approach in An Inconvenient Truth.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the urgency of communicating climate change and sets the stage for analyzing two specific documentary films as effective communication tools.
2. The environmental documentary as a genre: This chapter defines the genre of ecocinema and its potential to foster a deeper understanding of human relationships with the environment.
3. Ethical considerations in speaking about the environment: The chapter explores the ethical dilemmas inherent in representing nature, particularly regarding bias and the anthropocentric versus ecocentric perspective.
4. The challenges of depicting and communicating climate change and resulting implications for communicators: This section details the cognitive hurdles in climate communication, such as invisibility of causes, distant impacts, and human behavioral patterns.
5. Climate change as a topic of environmental documentaries – Two different approaches: This analytical chapter contrasts the narrative, messaging, and stylistic strategies used in An Inconvenient Truth and 11th Hour.
5.1 An Inconvenient Truth: Analyzes Gore’s use of personal narrative, scientific simplification, and moral framing to engage a mass audience.
5.2 11th Hour: Examines how 11th Hour utilizes a compilation of expert perspectives to address environmental collapse, albeit with a more exclusive, less personal narrative style.
6. Comparison and Conclusion: Synthesizes findings to argue that An Inconvenient Truth is more successful as a communication tool due to its accessibility, personal connection, and humor.
7. Bibliography: Lists the sources and academic literature referenced throughout the study.
Keywords
Climate Change, Environmental Documentary, Ecocinema, An Inconvenient Truth, 11th Hour, Communication Theory, Cognitive Dissonance, Anthropogenic Global Warming, Sustainability, Political Discourse, Environmental Ethics, Media Representation, Public Awareness, Climate Communication, Sustainable Development.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The work investigates how environmental documentary films function as tools for communicating the complex and often abstract challenges of anthropogenic climate change to the public.
Which films are selected for the analysis?
The thesis focuses on Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (2006) and Leonardo DiCaprio’s 11th Hour (2007).
What is the central research question?
The study explores which communication strategies—such as framing, personal storytelling, and scientific simplification—are most effective in persuading audiences to recognize the urgency of climate change and change their behavior.
What methodological approach is applied?
The analysis utilizes communication theory, particularly the factors identified by Susanne Moser, to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected documentaries in reaching heterogeneous audiences.
What are the main topics discussed in the main part?
The main part covers the specific hurdles of climate communication, the role of messengers, the framing of environmental issues, and the necessity of simplifying complex scientific concepts for lay audiences.
What are the key characteristics of the discussed works?
The work highlights terms such as ecocinema, cognitive understanding, moral obligation, and the effectiveness of visual metaphors as character traits of these documentaries.
How does Al Gore’s approach differ from the experts in 11th Hour?
Gore acts as a central hero and storyteller, utilizing personal life events to build trust and emotional engagement, whereas 11th Hour relies on an overwhelming compilation of expert opinions without a single, consistent character arc.
Which film is considered more effective in terms of communication?
The author concludes that An Inconvenient Truth is more successful because it is more accessible, uses humor and metaphors effectively, and directly addresses the audience's role in the solution.
- Citar trabajo
- Maike Westhues (Autor), 2014, Climate Change and the Environmental Documentary Film, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/340640
