Geiger, Sarge win grant to research climate communication
Media School assistant professors Nathan Geiger and Melanie Sarge are part of a project team that has secured a $137,000 grant from the University of Michigan Graham Sustainability Institute to study communication about climate change.
The project, “The Promise and Risks of Framing Climate Change as a Migration Issue,” asks if evoking empathy for the victims of climate change could spur Americans across the political spectrum to act to reduce its causes.
The team also includes Kaitlin Raimi and Julia Lee Cunningham from the University of Michigan and Ash Gillis from The Pennsylvania State University.
The research team will explore different framings of climate migration, according to the Graham Institute project page, and it hopes to find the most effective methods of presenting this effect of climate change for journalists, policymakers and climate advocates.
The group plans to conduct two experiments with samples of 3,000 individuals each, representing the U.S. population. The project aims to improve climate change communication.