Page 23 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

6 J. Godemann and G. Michelsen

Sustainability communication is thus a process of mutual understanding dealing
with the future development of society at the core of which is a vision of sustain-
ability. It is both about values and norms such as inter- and intragenerational justice
and about research into the causes and awareness of problems as well as about the
individual and societal possibilities to take action and influence development. This
process of mutual understanding takes place on a number of different levels and in
different contexts: between individuals, between individuals and institutions,
between institutions and within institutions, in schools and universities, in the
media, in politics, in business, in communities and at regional, national and inter-
national levels. The success of communication about sustainability and a sustain-
able development depends then on a large number of factors, which does not
simplify the process.
Essentially communication can be understood as symbolically mediated action,
with humans constructing their reality on the basis of perceptions and experiences.
This thesis is the foundation of much sociological thinking, whether Mead’s (1934)
symbolic interactionism or Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) theory of the social con-
struction of reality. The systems theoretical approach of Luhmann shows very nicely
the value of communication: “Fish may die or human beings; swimming in lakes
and rivers may cause illnesses; no more oil may come from the pumps; and average
temperatures may rise or fall, but as long as this is not communicated it does not
have any effect on society” (1986: 63). In summary it can be said that human behaviour,
social values and attitudes towards the world and environment are mediated by
communication.
The task of sustainability communication lies in introducing an understanding of
the world, that is of the relationship between humans and their environment, into
social discourse, developing a critical awareness of the problems about this relation-
ship and then relating them to social values and norms. Scientific knowledge and
scientific discourse play a central role in this undertaking to the extent that they
contribute to strengthen or relativise the various positions and perspectives.
Sustainability communication offers a framework for understanding a wide variety
of social systems and actors (science, business, education, media, etc.).

Theoretical Framing of Sustainability Communication

In order to provide a theoretical framing for sustainability communication, a number
of different scientific disciplines are needed, each with its own theoretical principles
and knowledge. Theories that sustainability communication makes use of include
systems theory and the epistemology of constructivism, approaches in media theory
and in communication theory, as well as psychology and sociology. Sustainability
communication still does not have its ‘own’ theoretical framework, such that one
could speak of a theory of sustainability communication.
Given that sustainability communication is a process of the exchange of information
between sender and receiver, an obvious starting point for the analysis and design of