{"id":313,"date":"2021-11-02T20:06:17","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T03:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/?p=313"},"modified":"2021-11-02T20:06:17","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T03:06:17","slug":"transdisciplinarity-in-story-a-climate-communications-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/transdisciplinarity-in-story-a-climate-communications-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Transdisciplinarity in Story: A Climate Communications Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"mountain,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CALS501 Unit 2 Blog Post<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate communication must be relatable to the audience in which it seeks to engage. Effective climate communication incorporates diverse perspectives and ways of knowing in its approach. This is much easier said than done. In today\u2019s world, climate communicators have the difficult challenge of expressing the need for climate action while balancing the multitude of values, perspectives, and beliefs prevalent in our societal realm. Throughout the 501 Design Thinking Challenge, one theme has reemerged time and time again. How does one effectively communicate the need for climate action to multiple stakeholders while simultaneously respecting and empowering the voices of the oppressed and most impacted by a changing climate? In my opinion, this starts with holding up and allowing space for Indigenous voice and story. Oral history, and specifically storytelling, is one of the most valuable forms of climate communication and must be brought to the same table as western climate science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storytelling offers a unique perspective aiding in the explanation and understanding of a changing climate. In CALS 502: Communication for Climate Action, Indigenous storytelling has emerged as a strategy to effectively communicate climate action. It provides an alternate explanation to why climate change exists through emphasis on our relationship with the natural world. Indigenous story as a \u201cpractice\u2026sustains communities, validates experiences and epistemologies\u2026and nurtures relationships and the sharing of knowledge\u201d (Iseke, 2013, p. 559). As our relationship with the natural world changes so has our ability to process, communicate, and confront those changes. Indigenous story views climate change through a different lens. One that focuses more on healing a damaged relationship than critiquing and criticizing the wrongdoings of humankind. It \u201ccommunicate[s] meaning that both produces and reproduces a sense of place\u201d and reestablishes a lost connection (Nakashima et al., 2018, p. 268). Effective communication must pull from diverse ways of knowing represented in Indigenous cultures. The transdisciplinarity incorporated into story makes it one of the most valuable tools of communication there is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the importance of story is the use of traditional and local ecological knowledge in communicating climate change and encouraging climate action. Vinyetta and Lynn (2013) add that \u201ctraditional ecological knowledge is the primary Indigenous way of understanding relationship among species, ecosystems, and ecological processes\u2026and has the potential to play a vital role in climate [action] and adaptation efforts that bridge human and environmental systems\u201d (p. 1). What often lacks in the communicative framing of climate change is the role of relationships in guiding climate action responses. It is a pivotal component and one that is often left out of mainstream climate communication. We are inexplicably linked to our natural world and \u201cforget that what we do to her we do to ourselves\u201d (Wyld, 2021, p. 30). Traditional ecological knowledge offers another component of Indigenous way of knowing that derives from centuries of respectfully interacting with the natural world and observing its responses to change. I see this particular knowledge base as an integral piece of the climate action movement. One that is equally as important as western science and should be integrated into all climate communication strategies to better tackle the challenges of our time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effective climate communication is a difficult task. However, further integration of Indigenous voice, through story and traditional ecological knowledge, is a necessary step in articulating and communicating climate impacts, strategies to combat climate variabilities, and overall climate action. The reoccurring theme of transdisciplinarity in this program is important because it sheds light on the need to value the diversity of perspective, lived experience, and expertise within the climate arena. Indigenous way of knowing is the most fundamental aspect of climate communication that, until recently, has been largely alienated, disregarded, and left out. It\u2019s time reconciliation manifests itself in the climate action movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iseke, J. (2013). Indigenous storytelling as research.\u00a0International Review of Qualitative Research<\/em>,\u00a06<\/em>(4), 559\u2013577. doi:10.1525\/irqr.2013.6.4.559<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nakashima, D., Krupnik, I., & Rubis, J. (Eds.). (2018).\u00a0Indigenous knowledge for climate change\u00a0assessment and adaptation<\/em>. Retrieved from http:\/\/books.google.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vinyeta, K., Lynn, K. (2013). Exploring the role of traditional ecological knowledge in climate change initiatives. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. doi:10.2737\/pnw-gtr-879<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wyld, F. (2021). The land as a research participant: A storytelling project on climate change and Indigenous perspectives. Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues,<\/em> 24<\/em>(1), 22-34. Retrieved from https:\/\/search.informit.org\/doi\/abs\/10.3316\/informit.046669925438109<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CALS501 Unit 2 Blog Post Climate communication must be relatable to the audience in which it seeks to engage. Effective climate communication incorporates diverse perspectives and ways of knowing in its approach. This is much easier said than done. In today\u2019s world, climate communicators have the difficult challenge of expressing the need for climate action … Continue reading Transdisciplinarity in Story: A Climate Communications Approach<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":944,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cals501","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions\/316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}