Climate change is an issue that affects everyone. But from which sources do we actually gather information about climate change? How can we form an opinion about a subject that is only partially comprehensible to laypeople?

In her well-attended lecture on July 7th 2014, at the New Public Library of Augsburg, Prof. Dr. Helena Bilandzic, a member of the JFZ and holder of the Chair of Communication Science with a focus on public reception and impact, uncovered some of the typical patterns in the medial representation of climate change, ranging from apocalyptic imagery to conspiracy theories. Highlighting scientific studies,  she demonstrated how such media representations affect the attitudes and actions of citizens.