The Role of Social Media Campaigns in Raising Awareness about Smog (Climate Change) and Encouraging Sustainable Behaviors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/qjss.610701686Keywords:
Climate Change, Smog, Lahore, Climate Communication, Social Media Campaigns, Sustainable BehaviorsAbstract
Climate is undergoing a constant deterioration at a very alarming rate. Masud et al. (2016) observe that despite very little contribution to climate degradation, poorer countries are more affected by climate change than developed countries. Pakistan is placed at number six among the most affected countries by climate change. IPI Global Observatory reported in its recent findings that Pakistan is a contributor of 0.3% of emissions and yet disproportionality far more affected by climate adversities in the form of annual floods, heat waves, extreme weather conditions, and smog. The worst form of air pollution, called smog, has been haunting Pakistan’s major cities for years. Lahore, a provisional capital of Punjab, has topped the list of most polluted cities in the world consistently in years 2021, 2022, and 2023 due to the worst situation of smog. The role of media is integral in this regard. This study explores the role of social media campaigns in creating awareness about smog and encouraging sustainable behaviors. The survey method has been used to collect data from 150 university students. The findings of the study reveal that social media can be best harnessed to cope with smog or other climate-related issues through a well-structured and target-oriented strategy of climate communication.
Downloads
References
Ajani, A., & Geest, K. v. (2021). Climate change in rural Pakistan: evidence and experiences from a people-centered perspective. Sustainability Science, 16(6), 1999-2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-01036-4
Akhtar, M. S., Ahmad, S., Tarar, M. A., & Akhtar, S. (2022). Role of Media in Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change in the Rice-Wheat Cropping Zone in the Punjab Province, Pakistan. Journal of Arable Crops and Marketing, 4(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.33687/jacm.004.01.4430
Ali, M., & Athar, M. (2010). Impact of transport and industrial emissions on the ambient air quality of Lahore City, Pakistan. Environ Monit Assess, 171(1-4), 353-363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1283-0
Ali, Y., Razi, M., Felice, F. D., Sabir, M., & Petrillo, A. (2019). A VIKOR based approach for assessing the social, environmental and economic effects of “smog” on human health. Science of The Total Environment, 650, 2897-2905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.041
Arlt, D., Hoppe, I., & Wolling, J. (2011). Climate change andmedia usage: Effectson problem awarenessand behaviouralintentions. The InternationalCommunication Gazette, 73(1-2), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048510386741
Ashraf, M. F., Ahmad, R. U., & Tareen, H. K. (2022). Worsening situation of smog in Pakistan: A tale of three cities. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103947
Ashraf, M., & Islam, U. M. (2014). Media activism and its impacts on the psychology of Pakistani society . ISSRA Papers, 6(1), 47-61.
Chhachhar, A. R., Arain, G. S., & Chandio, D. A. (2020). Assessing Print Media Coverage on Environmental Issues in Pakistan: A Study of Major Newspapers in Pakistan. Progressive Research Journal of Arts and Humanities (PRJAH), 2(2), 92-103. https://doi.org/10.51872/prjah.vol2.iss2.40
Corner, A., & Clarke, J. (2017 ). Talking climate: From research to practice in public engagement. Springer International Publishing . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46744-3
Dawn. (2021). Lahore again shows worst air quality. https://www.dawn.com/news/1657271
De Moor, J. (2017). Lifestyle politics and the concept of political participation. Acta Politica, 52(2), 179-197. https://doi.org/10.1057/ap.2015.27
Eckstein D, K. V. (2020). Global Climate Risk INDEX 2020. Germanwatch. https://www.germanwatch.org/sites/germanwatch.org/files/20-2-01e%20Global%20Climate%20Risk%20Index%202020_14.pdf
Gobena, G. A. (2018). Family socio-economic status effect on students’ academic achievement at college of education and behavioral sciences, Haramaya University, Eastern Ethiopia. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, 7(3), 207-222. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1207284.pdf
Guenduez, A. A., Mettler, T., & Schedler, K. (2020). Citizen participation in smart government: Aconceptual model and two IoT case studies. Public Administration and Information Technology,189-209. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37464-8_9
Guterres, A. (2018). Climate change is indeed running faster than we are. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2018-09-26/remarks-high-level-event-climate-change
Hanan, M. A., Saleem, N., Ali, A., & Mukhtar, S. (2016). Role of media in strengthening democracy in Pakistan: journalists' perception. South Asian Studies, 31(1), 331-345. http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/22%20Mian%20Ahmad%20Hanan_v31_no1_jan-jun2016.pdf
Happer, C., & Philo, G. (2013). The Role of the Media in the Construction of Belief andSocial Change. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 1(1): 321–336. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v1i1.96
Happer, C., & Philo, G. (2016). New approaches to understanding the role of the news media in the formation of public attitudes and behaviours on climate change. European Journal of Communication, 31(2), 136-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323115612213
Jan, A., Khan, T. A., & Mahsud, M. I. (2020). The Climate Change Awareness and Literacy in Pakistan: Role of Media and Social Actors . Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 4 (2), 256- 266. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/4.2.20
Javed, S. A. (2016). Climate change reflections on issues and way forward. Pakistan Advocate Pakistan, 2(4), 23-30.
Kakade, O. H. (2013). Role of media in creating awareness aboutclimate change: a case study of Bijapur City. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 10(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-01013743
Khan, S., & Khan, R. M. (2016). Role of media in tackling climate change issue – a case study of Pakistan. Margalla Papers , 184-199. https://www.prdb.pk/article/role-of-media-in-tackling-climate-change-issue-a-case-st-9591
León, B., Bourk, M., & Davis, L. S. (2021). One essential component of the response to climate change is public engagement. Effective communication and public participation are essential for achieving the necessary swift social change with the consent and participation of the populace. Media International Australia, 188(1), https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X211038004
Masud, M. M., Al-Amin, A. Q., Junsheng, H., Ahmed, F., Yahaya, S. R., Akhtar, R., & Banna, H. (2016). Climate change issue and theory of planned behaviour: relationship by empirical evidence. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113, 613-623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.11.080
Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J., & Behrens, W. W. (1972). Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind . New York : New York: Universe Books. https://doi.org/10.1349/ddlp.1
Moser, C. S., & Dilling, L. (2002). Making climate hot: communicating the urgency andchallenge of climate change. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 46(10), 32-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/00139150409605820
Moser, C. S., & Dilling, L. (2011). Communicating climate change: Closing the science-action Gap. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199566600.003.0011
Murukutla, N., Kumar, N., & Mullin, S. (2019). A review of media effects: implications for media coverage of air pollution and cancer. Annals of Cancer Epidemiology, 3, 3-3. https://doi.org/10.21037/ace.2019.07.03
Painter, J. (2013 ). Climate Change in the Media. New York: Reuters Institute of Journalism. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755694525
Raja, U. M., Mukhtar, T., Shaheen, F. A., Bodlah, I., Jamal, A., Fatima, B., & Shah, I. (2018). Climate change and its impact on plant health: a Pakistan's perspective. Plant Protection, 2(2), 51-56. https://esciencepress.net/journals/index.php/PP/article/view/3147
Rasu, G., Afzal, M., Zahid, M., & Bukhari, S. A. (2012). Climate Change in Pakistan; Focused on Sindh Province. https://www.pmd.gov.pk/report_rnd.pdf
Riaz, R., & Hamid, K. (2018). Existing Smog in Lahore, Pakistan: An Alarming Public Health Concern. Cureus 10(1), e2111. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.2111.
Riaz, S. (2018). Role of media in climate sensitization. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences(PJSS), 38(1), 152-165. https://pjss.bzu.edu.pk/index.php/pjss/article/view/580
Rock, J., & Gilchrist, E. (2021). Creating empathy for the more-than-human under 2 degrees heating. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences volume, 11, 735–743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-021-00718-w
Sánchez-Triana, E., Enriquez, S., Afzal, J., Nakagawa, A., & Khan, A. (2014). Cleaning Pakistan's Air: Policy Options to Address the Cost of Outdoor Air Pollution. Washington, DC: The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0235-5
Shwom, R., Isenhour, C., Jordan, R. C., McCright, A. M., & Robinson, J. M. (2017). Integrating the socialsciences to enhance climate literacy. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15(7), 377-384. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1519
The New York Time. (2017). In Lahore, Pakistan, Smog Has Become a ‘Fifth Season’. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/world/asia/lahore-smog-pakistan.html
UNFCCC. (1992). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf
United Nations Environment Program. (2022, July 28). In historic move, UN declares healthy environment ahuman right. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/historic-move-un-declares-healthy-environment-human-right
Van Dijk, J. (2020 ). The network society. Sage .
Wang, J., Kim, J., Moon, J., & Song, H. (2020). The Effect of Smog-Related Factors on Korean Domestic Tourists‟ Decision Making Process. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3706. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103706
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Ayesha Siddiqui, Farrah Ul Momineen, Saima KhanSalman Amin,
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
