Digital Media and Coverage of Sea-level Rise
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Digital Media and Coverage of Sea-level Rise
Research points to predictably disastrous happenings due to the rise in sea level that tends to be more rapid than expected, just like in climate change research and documentaries, digital media at large associates the impacts of climate change to the gradual increase in the atmospheric greenhouse gases. The issue of rising sea level has attracted international policymakers and international research communities, who have sowed concern regarding reports covered by mass media. There is a need for emphasis on calling for action in digital media. Information should be passed through the media, and a call for action should be made.
Several studies show the gravity of the issue at hand, and today digital media does the same through films, documentaries, short videos, movies, among other possible media platforms. It is thus necessary to look into the research studies and the media platforms to assess the extent of effect before coming up with new media content to address the issue of a rise in the sea level. The assessed studies are a study on the effectiveness of cli-fi to address climate change, a survey of how Netherlands has transitioned to flood risk management, and a study of the film and TV portrayals of climatic change and their impacts. Through the analysis and assessment of these studies, it is expected that the eventual finding will point the digital media in a better position to represent climate change, sea-level rise, and its impacts better.
The study seeks to assess how the media has covered the rising sea levels and the impact of the increasing sea level on the coastal inhabitants. The study will use both primary and secondary research methods to ensure more extensive coverage. The data will be collected through interviews and questionnaires. Moreover, secondary data will be searched using published newspapers and research studies that have assessed rising sea levels’ media coverage. The collected data will be analyzed using the descriptive analysis to evaluate the correlation between the information available on the impact of rising sea levels on coastal inhabitants with time.
Annotated Bibliography
The Effectiveness of Cli-Fi to Address Climate Change
Svoboda, M. (2016). Cli‐fi on the screen (s): patterns in the representations of climate changein fictional films. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 7(1), 43-64.
The study covers cli-fi on screens (fictional works about climate change). According to the study, a lot of focus has been put on the extreme impacts of climatic change, such as the possibility of the earth slipping into a new ice age. The study provides an overview of a total of 60 films to bring out the representation of climate change in films. The research points out to poor representations that only cover extreme cases. According to the study, the filmmakers hold a higher position in creating awareness than the scientific consensus, thus demonstrating a challenge faced by climate change communicators. Cli-fi films and shows depict a pattern which does not marry with what the scientists communicate. It may be fictional, but the extent of influence it has affects the audience’s notion of the magnitude of the issues of climate change.
Perhaps opting for the changes experienced a day in day out as a result of climate change and human activities are better positioned to call the audience to action to prevent the extremes. Instead, the films only present the extremes, thus a reluctance to believe that the present state is far from there. According to the study, the focus should be put beyond The day after Tomorrow, which has received attention and is well structured and informative. The study recommends that more effort is made to change the patterns of representations of climate change in fictional films.
This research article is relevant because it addresses the shortcomings of films that portray climatic change and their effects. From understanding the shortcomings, it is possible to come up with recommendations for better production in the film industry to ensure relevance to the climate changes that result in a rise in sea level.
How Netherlands Has Transitioned to Flood Risk Management
Van Der Meulen, G. (2018). New Netherlands: Towards Transitional Flood Risk Management Anticipating Extreme Future Sea-Level Rise Scenarios.
The research article focuses on the Netherlands and its transition to flood risk management. The primary focus is on flood defense and sea-level rise as represented in visual arts. The geographical location of Netherlands and makes it a key area in the study of the effects of the rise in sea level and how to deal with such scenarios. Using the Netherlands as a case, the article envisions and communicates and unites in addressing the complexity of dealing with climate change and sea-level rise. In understanding the article, pointers on exhibitions and representations of flooding and perceptions are made for all forms of visual arts. It gives importance to the link between the mechanistic engineering view of the world and the conceptual aesthetic view. The study is an eye-opener to possible patterns in the representation of climatic changes and their impacts, such as the rise in sea level, as well as their possible solutions.
This study is relevant because it was aimed at documenting a change in sea level as a result of climatic change and how the issue has been addressed in Netherlands. The study thus gives pointers in what is expected of media content aimed at addressing climatic change and the rise in sea level.
Film and TV Portrayal of Climatic Change and Their Impacts
Dudo, A., Copple, J., & Atkinson, L. (2017). Entertainment Film and TV Portrayals of Climate Change and Their Societal Impacts. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science.
According to Dudo, Copple, and Atinson (2017), there is an abundance in social science research focused on climate change and its impacts. Still, there is little in understanding, feeling, and behaving relative to the issue of climate change. The study capitalizes on the media due to the fact that the media represents a primary platform through which people get information on social issues. The study sees the need for the media depictions to serve more than landscape; it should represent climate change and its implications. The study points to the media as a source of entertainment, thus a powerful tool in creating awareness and ensuring people know what it feels like, what should be done, and the right preventive measure relative to climate change.
The study’s overview narrows down to the fact that the few media works that capitalize on climate change are centered primarily on a “small subset of high-profile climate change.” In examining the content of such films, they are rhetorically presented, thus negatively affecting the audience. The study strives to ensure a more diverse menu of entertainment media that captures long term effects relative to climate change and its impacts.
This study is relevant because the recommendations and overview analysis of the study are pointers to the required content to communicate climatic changes. It gives guidance on where the films should focus thus of relevance to the study in question.