A New Model of Environmental Communication for Europe from Consumption to Use of Information

SUMMARY he present report deals with the question of which changes should be made in the current environmental communication model so that information becomes a real tool to understand environmental problems, to orient decision-making towards their solution, and to behave and act towards sustainability. The transition phase to a new communication model is described as a process that moves information from passivity to activity, changes its content, and thus requires developing a new and different representation of knowledge that facilitates its understanding. Through the study and analysis of the current characteristics of supply and demand of environmental information in Europe, conclusions are drawn as to the lacks of the traditional communication model in terms of its effectiveness to induce cultural change towards sustainability. While the written media are perceived as the most important suppliers of environmental information, they are also considered to transmit the less credible data. Social perceptions of the mass media, together with their limitations (such as lack of space, diversity and specialisation, or time constrictions) determine the need of reviewing the traditional communication model. An alternative model of environmental information exchange in Europe is then put forward. The new model is based on interactivity, participation, plurality of sources and opinions, different representations of reality, and elimination of space, time and variability constrictions. This model can be characterised by three basic aspects: § Use of the new technological supports § A new and different representation of knowledge § A review of the contents offered to society Different experiences at various territorial levels are already testing this model, and some of them are described as case studies in this report. In order to promote further and deeper analysis of its potential and implications, some strategies could be evaluated and initiated. Among them, the conception, design and creation of environmental communication research projects, initiatives or centres to deal with the need of developing new and innovating environmental communication methodologies that confer to information a value of use and not of consumption.