Freiburg Forum 2010

The Role of New Media in Environmental Governance

Whereas the concept of environmental governance has received increasing attention from academics and policy makers in recent years, the role of new media in this context has not yet been analyzed and explored. This topic is relevant in so far governance of global environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, desertification, and climate change, among others, requires cooperation, negotiation and interaction among mutiple stake-holders, including State and non-State actors. In that regard, it can be sustained that new media has enabled the exchange of information and the coordination of actions in favor of environmental issues across time and space. In fact, the virtual arena is populated with thousands of networks linking individuals and collectives who share interests, ideas and concerns about the environment.

The intensification of communications supported by new media technologies could suggest that there is more awareness about global environmental challenges, and thus an understanding of the urgency to take effective and ambitious actions. However, as unique species continue to dissappear, man-induced environmental catastrophes still occupy the front pages of newspapers, and more and more people acquire unsustainable lifestyles, the effectiveness of new media in  providing guidance towards sustainable actions is questioned. 

In addition, the "Facebook" frenzy can make us forget that millions of people, particularly in the global south, have no access to these new communication channels. The digital gap is thus growing among generations and between generations, depicting how the inclusion of many to virtual communities is countervailed by the exclusion of the poor, the old and the rural. How can we foster a democratic governance of global environmental issues under such scenario of inequity? Other issues, like the reliability of the information posted online require deep examination and reflection as well.  

With the aim of debating and analyzing these questions from a critical and reflexive perspective, the Freiburg Forum on Environmental Governance 2010 invited MEG students, MEG alumni and the wider environmental governance community to take part in a three day event. The opportunities and challenges of new media were evaluated in discussions following expert presentations and in dynamic workshops applying social software. The event culminated with the launching of a a social networking tool for the MEG community.

Thanks to all the participants of the Forum for your input and interest!!!!