Page 109 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

92 A. Ziemann

“Thus themes serve as factual/ temporal/ social structures within the communication
process, and they function as generalizations insofar as they do not restrict which
contributions can be made at what time, in which sequence, and by whom”
(Luhmann 1995: 157).
Contributions are themselves re-specifications of themes. As concrete acts of
communication they show how themes are interpreted, which information triggers
their introduction and who they are relevant for. The political demand that eco-
logical and social aspects be taken into consideration in every situation is just as
much a re-specification of the sustainability theme as for example communicating
that plane travel should be avoided or publishing an academic text on modern
environmental ethics.
A general definition is thus that sustainability communication is a global social
process (and one that is accompanied by the mass media) that consists of the recursive
order of contributions and arguments to the theme of a better ecological, economic
and social life. There are however a number of goals of sustainability communication
that are similarly general. Ideally they should be pursued simultaneously (Lass and
Reusswig 2001):
• Popularisation goals: the concepts and plans of sustainable development should
(not least through mass media support and diffusion) be made known to the
general public and offer concrete orientation for action.
• Innovation and alliance goals: Decisive social and technological innovations
should be initiated. This would involve a variety of social actors working together
and building strategic networks, for example among political parties, business
enterprises and NGOs.
• Information and educational goals: Fundamental contents and aspects regarding
sustainability should be firmly implemented in the educational system. This
would allow children to learn and develop reflexive competence early in life.
• Research goals: Sustainability should become a central research topic in an
interdisciplinary scientific discourse with its own perspectives and applications,
especially for economic and political actors.

The Nature of Sustainability Discourse

Very few natural hazards and environmental risks are directly experienced by an
individual in everyday life. Instead they must first be disseminated by (mass medial)
communication. The mass media make the unknown known to the unknown. In the
introduction it was pointed out that it is not until sustainability communication reports
on human need, wasted resources, potential ecological-economic crises or the lack of
rules governing intra- and intergenerational need that these become socially relevant,
a social resonance is created and (ideally) remedial action is taken.
Luhmann, in all sociological seriousness, states “that the oil reserves are declin-
ing, the rivers are becoming too warm, the forests are dying, the heavens are darken-
ing and the oceans are being polluted. This may be the case, or it may not be the