The 2024 Global Climate Communication Forum was recently held at Tsinghua University, bringing together global policymakers, communication experts, practitioners, and journalists. Under the theme of Climate Action and Communication Strategies in a Global Perspective, participants explored emerging practices and methods centered on climate communication and climate action.
The forum was organized in response to the growing need for more effective communication strategies to address the urgent global climate crisis, aiming to explore how climate communication can better engage diverse audiences, foster public participation, and support the human-centered transition to a low-carbon future.
Wang Hongwei, vice president of Tsinghua University; Liu Binjie, chairman of the Education, Science, Culture, and Public Health Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC); Zou Ji, CEO and president of the Energy Foundation China; and, Zhou Qingan, dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, delivered opening remarks.
Wang Hongwei emphasized the complexity of climate change, which intersects with economic, social, and cultural dimensions. He underscored the role of climate communication in raising public awareness and promoting a low-carbon societal transition, urging international cooperation to tackle global climate challenges.
Liu Binjie highlighted that climate issues are now among the world’s most critical topics, stressing the need for unified global consensus and accurate public understanding of climate challenges as essential strategic tasks for climate communication.
Zou Ji called for a profound energy transition, noting that this shift requires not only technological innovation but also changes in mindsets, production methods, and lifestyles. He underscored the historical responsibility of climate communication in this transformation.
Zhou Qingan emphasized the urgency and importance of global climate communication. He noted that it is the responsibility of climate communication professionals to effectively convey scientific methods for addressing climate change to the public.
The forum featured keynote speeches from several experts, including He Kebin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Tsinghua University, and representatives from international organizations such as Smriti Aryal, country representative of the UN Women China and Beate Trankmann, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in China. Their discussions spanned topics from pathways to achieving global carbon neutrality to gender equality in climate action and China's pivotal role in the global low-carbon transition.
During the main panel discussion, Yan Shidong, director of the Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, stressed the government's role in mobilizing society for broader climate communication. Jing Hui, senior program director of Strategic Communications at the Energy Foundation China, advocated for shifting the focus from raising awareness of climate change to promoting practical solutions. Mijo Vodopic from the MacArthur Foundation emphasized the importance of innovative storytelling to inspire public engagement, while Wu Qi, editor-in-chief of One-way Street Magazine, urged the media to prioritize social responsibility over traffic metrics in climate communication.
The forum featured two parallel sessions, delving into themes such as the human-centered approach to climate communication and mainstreaming climate issues through lifestyle and fashion. Zeng Fanxu, director of the Center for Climate Communication and Risk Governance at Tsinghua University, concluded the forum by summarizing key takeaways and outlining future efforts in climate communication.
The forum was organized by the Center for Climate Communication and Risk Governance, School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University with support from the Energy Foundation China.
From School of Journalism and Communication
Editor: Li Han
