Seminar "Climate Change: Opportunities and Communication/PR Strategies for Agencies and Businesses"

Climate change is one of the major issues profoundly affecting the politics, economy, and society that humanity faces in the 21st century. Experts predict that the impacts of climate change will be extremely severe, with global temperatures rising by approximately 2 to 5 degrees Celsius by 2100 (Stern, 2009). Global warming in the coming decades will increase floods, droughts, and other negative weather patterns. This also means that freshwater reserves and agricultural production will be severely affected, especially as the world population is projected to increase to 11 billion by 2050. Although climate change will affect all countries, current evidence suggests that developing countries will suffer the most severe consequences.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated in a United Nations speech in July 2007: “Building a sustainable planet for all of us means increasing investment in developing countries so they can adapt to the consequences of climate change. We know that while industrialized countries enjoy the majority of the global economic prosperity, the poorest countries bear the brunt of the negative impacts of climate change, even though they should be the least responsible. This makes climate change not just an economic issue, but a matter of justice.”

The speech led to many opinions suggesting that communication and education activities need to be strengthened to persuade citizens in all countries to change and move towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. The role of media on climate change is increasingly important, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are also trending towards climate change. So, what opportunities does climate change bring to PR/communications professionals? How should PR strategies and messages be developed for agencies and businesses in the coming time to capitalize on the communication trend of this very hot global issue? What communication lessons can Vietnam learn from international experience? These are the topics that will be presented and discussed in this seminar, with a presentation by Professor Matthew Hibbert - a leading expert on Media Management and Climate Change, from the University of Stirling, UK.

Due to limited seating in the hall, those wishing to attend are kindly requested to register before November 16, 2015, via the following link:

http://goo.gl/forms/TkTAj5evM5