In recent years, the ongoing climate crisis has powerfully shaped public discourse, activism, and policy priorities worldwide. However, the equally urgent biodiversity crisis receives less attention, despite its relevance for our planet’s future. How can we ensure that addressing climate change does not come at the expense of awareness and action on biodiversity loss? What role do shared narratives play in making biodiversity issues more salient and actionable, and how can these narratives be designed to resonate with diverse audiences?
This participatory workshop aims to foster dialogue and creativity among researchers, practitioners, and communicators from across disciplines. After a brief input on the power of narratives in science communication, participants will divide into small groups to collaboratively develop innovative, integrative narratives on biodiversity communication. Through guided discussion, groups will identify strengths and weaknesses in climate and biodiversity discourses – such as the climate movement’s strong public visibility versus the often overlooked importance of biodiversity – and experiment with ways to use the strengths of one to address the weaknesses of the other.
The 90 min. workshop will also engage participants in critical reflection on the role of emotionality in science communication: What kinds and degrees of emotions are both appropriate and effective in the current situation? How can we strike a balance between mobilizing concern and fostering constructive engagement?
The session will conclude with a plenary exchange of developed narratives and a discussion on how these can be applied in practice to spark new collaborations and strategies for communicating the urgency and relevance of biodiversity change in a warming world.