Bottom-Up Networks in Pacific Island Countries: An Emerging Model for Participatory Environmental Communication

Harris, Usha S.

doi:10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8_138-1

Bottom-Up Networks in Pacific Island Countries: An Emerging Model for Participatory Environmental Communication

Usha S. Harris²

Living reference work entry
First Online: 27 July 2019

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Abstract

As interrelated human actions converge to produce devastating results on both human and natural environment, new frameworks are needed to enable a diversity of voices in bottom-up environmental communication. Communication is necessary in engaging people and entities in the process of identifying the problems and collectively finding solutions to a broad range of environmental and social change issues. In Pacific Island countries, where people are already facing existential threat from the many impacts of climate change, participatory media is increasingly being employed to share stories and influence power brokers. Based on the author’s research in the Pacific, this chapter offers a model for participatory environmental communication (PEC) that brings together diverse human (and nonhuman) networks in a process of dialogue and collaboration to find solutions to the many environmental challenges.

Keywords

Pacific
Oceania
Participatory environmental communication
Climate change
Bottom-up
Networks
Diversity
Agency
Dialogue
Collaboration

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Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Usha S. Harris

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Usha S. Harris
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Correspondence to Usha S. Harris .

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Editors and Affiliations

Former UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change, University of Leuven, Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Prof. Jan Servaes

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Harris, U.S. (2019). Bottom-Up Networks in Pacific Island Countries: An Emerging Model for Participatory Environmental Communication. In: Servaes, J. (eds) Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8_138-1

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8_138-1
Received: 20 June 2019
Accepted: 27 June 2019
Published: 27 July 2019
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-7035-8
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-7035-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Literature, Cultural & Media StudiesReference Module Humanities and Social Sciences