The gap between knowledge and action continues to pose a particular challenge for sustainability communication. As numerous studies have shown, simply conveying knowledge is generally not enough to motivate people to act sustainably. Traditional sustainability journalism, in particular, is often still limited to conveying facts and factual contexts and offers little encouragement to apply the acquired knowledge in everyday life or to explore various options for action. In light of the growing environmental and social challenges in today’s world, it plays a crucial role in informing, educating, and motivating broad segments of the population.
One of the main purposes of sustainability journalism is to inform the public about pressing environmental issues such as climate change, species extinction, pollution and resource scarcity. This information is crucial in order to recognize the extent of the problems, to understand the complexity and interrelationships and to understand the urgency of action. It also serves as a control mechanism for governments and companies. By exposing abuses and environmental impacts, it can hold those responsible to account and drive the adoption of more sustainable practices. Journalists therefore play a key role in monitoring and reporting on progress in the area of sustainability. This thematic cluster presents exemplary DBU projects dedicated to this topic.