From the bottom up: Rethinking climate communication

The author critiques the field of climate communication for being dominated by Global North institutions and research, which often fails to account for the realities of the Global South, such as limited connectivity and the value of traditional ecological knowledge. The text advocates for a 'bottom-up' approach that treats communication as a right and supports local media ecosystems as essential 'climate stability infrastructure.' Examples of successful community-led communication are highlighted in Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil, alongside a call for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and increased funding for local voices.

• Mainstream climate communication research is heavily skewed toward the Global North; a survey of 505 articles in the five most productive journals revealed that 93% of authors were affiliated with Northern institutions, and 57% of studies focused on Northern countries, while Latin America and Africa each accounted for only 1% of authors.
• Standard climate communication assumptions often fail in the Global South due to structural barriers, such as the Amazon rainforest region where only 5% to 8% of the area has high connectivity and internet cables are frequently damaged by climate disruptions.
• There is a systemic conflict between Western science, which is analytical and quantitative, and traditional ecological knowledge, which is holistic, contextual, and oral; the latter has been historically dismissed as part of a 'colonial project'.
• Community-led media initiatives in the Global South provide effective alternatives to commercial media by building local trust and agency, such as Radio Ideal in Ecuador, Grupo COMUNICARTE in Colombia, and Rede de Noticias da Amazonia in Brazil.
• The author asserts that democratic local communication ecosystems should be funded as 'climate stability infrastructure' and calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement, which requires Latin American states to provide environmental information in accessible languages and formats.

APA

Miller, T. R. (2026). From the bottom up: Rethinking climate communication. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/from-the-bottom-up-rethinking-climate-communication/

Chicago

Miller, Terri R. From the bottom up: Rethinking climate communication. World Association for Christian Communication, 2026. https://waccglobal.org/from-the-bottom-up-rethinking-climate-communication/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Miller |first1=Terri R. |title=From the bottom up: Rethinking climate communication |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=7 September 2026 |url=https://waccglobal.org/from-the-bottom-up-rethinking-climate-communication/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{miller2026from, author = {Miller, Terri R.}, title = {{From the bottom up: Rethinking climate communication}}, publisher = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://waccglobal.org/from-the-bottom-up-rethinking-climate-communication/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }