Inspiring community climate action through knowledge and research
Motivate action on climate change through clear and inspirational communication that prioritises the health and wellbeing of people and the planet. Motivation for climate action will be found in creative, rigorous and focused engagement that speaks to the community.
Resources and Data
Harnessing the power of traditional and digital communication platforms to motivate action on climate change in two, five-year funded projects.
National Climate Action Survey
Provide quantitative data on the status of, and impediments to, Australian climate action by telling us what Australians think, feel, and do about climate change at different times and in various communities.
Project lead: Assoc Prof Graham Bradley
Latest Report: Climate Action Survey 2022 - Summary for policy and decision making (released September 2023)
For more reports and news - Project page
Big Data Analytics
Exploring the immense resources of online data and media, including social media to understand and foster climate action.
Big Data Analytics and the National Climate Action Survey and more qualitative research projects focused on community, regional areas, industry and or government, will offer a triangulation of data, capable of building a dense and insightful picture of climate action in Australia.
Project lead: Prof Bela Stantic
Climate Sentiment analysis since January 2022
COP 28 in 2023 Climate Sentiment Dashboard
COP 27 in 2022 Climate Sentiment Dashboard
COP 26 in 2021 Climate Sentiment Dashboard
Innovation and Creativity
Exploring ways to innovate and create to motivate climate action in ways that are unchartered or unexpected.
Place - Loss - Aesthetics - Creativity - Extinction (P.L.A.C.E)
Develop knowledge and awareness of the environment through enhanced perception of the acoustic ecology and the understanding of place through analysis of soundscapes. Loss is motivated by the alarming rates of habitat destruction and species extinction both in Australia and around the world. It will attempt to build a powerful, transformative, poetic chorus with some of the voices of animals whose lives are most imperiled by drawing on creative writing, ethological poetics as well as developments in biology (bioacoustics) and musicology (Eco-musicology).
Project leads: Prof Vanessa Tomlinson (composer), Dr Stuart Cooke (poet), Simon Linke (freshwater eco-acoustician) and Prof Andrew Brown (computational artist)
Collaboration with: Qld Chief Scientist, Prof Hugh Possingham and Oxley Creek Catchment Association
- Video of launch: Recording from Oxley Common (12 Nov 2021)
Words and meanings in everyday Australian discourse about climate change
Understanding the distinct way Australians talk about weather, climate, and climate action, with particular emphasis on public discourse in Queensland. Research aims to develop clear, powerful and culturally resonant messaging to enable self-motivation for appropriate climate actions.
Project leads: Dr Helen Bromhead and Prof Cliff Goddard
Exploring fishing practices and changes in native fish populations
Explore fishing practices of Mirarr people and changes in native fish populations resulting from anthropogenic and climate change in the Alligator Rivers region of western Arnhem Land through the last 6,000 years. The project will provide a framework for Mirarr-led knowledge sharing about cultural practices and ecosystem management in a changing environment.
Project lead: Prof Lynley Wallis
Connected to Country
Learning about First Nations connection to country and cultural practice and how this is impacted by climate change; “If the country is not well our people are not well”. Many First Nations cultural practitioners are considering creating solutions for the adaption of these practices in order to maintain a cultural continuum. This project will involve capacity building and knowledge transfer in communities and online to introduce the approaches and technologies, develop online and in-person toolkits, and engage in training and skills development for communities.
Project lead: Dr Bianca Finn
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Social and Community Engagement
Acknowledging the social challenges that prevent meaningful action on climate change and finding ways to unite the community.
Quit Carbon Youth Initiative
Develop a foundation for engaging with youth to foster and encourage climate action through educational workshops and an app that captures teens carbon footprint and motivates them to take steps towards living sustainably.
Project leads: Prof Paulo De Souza and Assoc Prof Jennifer Boddy
Warming up: Building capacity of community radio to communicate climate change
Partnering with community radio to build their confidence and capacity to have meaningful community conversations about climate change and support adaptation.
Project lead: Assoc Prof Kerrie Foxwell-Norton
Partners: Community Media Training Organisation, Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
Rethinking climate action through wetland protection and shorebird conservation
Understanding how communities stretching from Arctic Russia to Australian coastlines are united in their efforts to conserve wetlands and protect shorebird species, and how these efforts can inspire further ambitious action on climate change.
Project lead: Dr Samid Suliman
Collaboration with: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and e-flux Architecture
Expanded lecture recording: Recording from the Institute of Modern Art (20 Nov 2021)