[Commlist] Call for Papers: Communicating Climate Activism and Energy Transitions

  Call for Papers: Communicating Climate Activism and Energy Transitions

* The Journal: The International Communication Gazette

* Guest Editors: Daniel Lewis Wuebben (Comillas Pontifical University, 
Spain), Sonia Aránzazu Ferruz González (Comillas Pontifical University, 
Spain), Valentina Cappi (University of Bologna, Italy), Mette Marie 
Roslyng (Aalborg University, Denmark)

* Deadlines: Extended abstracts: 31 January 2026; Full manuscripts: 15 
May 2026

A significant and increasing percentage of the global population accepts 
the stark climate science and recognizes the urgent need for action 
(United Nations Development Programme, 2024). Such actions and efforts 
are inherently connected to transitioning energy systems away from 
fossil fuels. Urgent calls from climate activists, such as ‘Just Stop 
Oil!’ and decarbonization slogans, such as ‘net-zero by 2050’, are both 
rooted in evidence about the need to dismantle our fossil-fuel systems 
and replace them with sustainable alternatives. However, climate action, 
whether in the form of civil disobedience or radical environmentalism, 
can often seem disconnected from the technological and policy-driven 
work of clean energy deployment. Likewise, the links between climate 
communication and energy communication are not always clearly 
established. While ‘climate communication’ has been firmly established 
in our field for decades (Nisbet, 2009), the field of ‘energy 
communication’ has recently evolved from its primary focus on energy 
crises – such as oil spills or nuclear disasters – to examine the 
everyday practices and broader societal impacts of energy transitions 
(Fahy, 2020). Framing energy transitions as extensions of the climate 
crisis can limit their appeal across the political spectrum and their 
potential for long-term solutions (Cozen et al., 2018). However, energy 
communication also includes activism, energy democracy, and 
environmental justice; therefore, it seems increasingly critical to 
study how the ideals and practices of energy writ large are achieved 
within specific climate discourses and how the links between ‘climate’ 
and ‘energy’ are communicated to the public. This special issue explores 
how activists, artists, communication scholars, journalists, engineers, 
scientists, practitioners, and policymakers communicate within and 
beyond crisis-driven narratives of energy transitions and climate 
change. We welcome scholarly contributions that embrace diverse critical 
approaches, spanning multiple geographical regions and representing 
various academic stages – from doctoral candidates and early career 
researchers to established senior scholars. Our call encompasses a broad 
range of potential research topics, including, but not limited to, the 
following four areas:

1. Comparative media framing of energy transitions: Media plays a 
crucial role in shaping public understanding of climate change and 
energy issues. Previous research on framing has largely focused on the 
role of mass media in framing climate change and energy transitions 
(Guenther and Brüggemann, 2023; Kleinen-von Königslöw et al., 
2019; Schäfer and O’Neill, 2017). This section invites articles 
analyzing how energy transitions are framed across diverse media 
platforms. From mainstream media's influence on policy discussions to 
viral moments created by climate influencers on platforms such as 
Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, submissions may explore how 
different media formats shape public opinion on decarbonization.

2. Regulatory frameworks and communication dynamics: As industries and 
governments respond to the imperatives of decarbonization, their 
policies are key drivers of how energy transitions are framed and 
implemented. From global initiatives like the Paris Agreement to 
national frameworks such as the European Union's Green New Deal, energy 
and climate policies define futures we can imagine and build. These 
regulatory frameworks both respond to and influence grassroots climate 
activism, sometimes enabling energy democracy and environmental justice 
movements while at other times constraining or co-opting their 
transformative potential. We would invite studies that address anyof the 
following prompts: How do climate and energy policies address equity, 
justice, and economic transformation in the transition to renewable 
energy? How do global frameworks like the IPCC reports or COP meetings 
influence the relationships between climate change and energy 
transitions? How do regulatory approaches either amplify or silence 
different voices in energy transition debates, and what communication 
strategies do activist movements employ to influence policy formation?

3. Global South and North: Dialogues of energy democracy: The concepts 
of climate justice and energy democracy, predominantly framed by 
scholars and institutions in the Global North, offer powerful lenses to 
understand the socio-political dimensions of energy transitions and 
climate communication in the Global South. This section invites articles 
from teachers, scholars, activists engaged in climate action and just 
energy transitions in regions with historically limited or precarious 
access to energy. Studies may focus on topics such as the communication 
between NGOs, state governments, and national governments (Viteri and 
Takahashi, 2020), decentralized renewable energy systems empowering 
local communities (Baum et al., 2024), or how climate and energy justice 
intersects with broader social justice movements.

4. Transnational narratives and cultural productions: How do diverse 
media and genres – ranging from novels, films, and social media 
campaigns – make connections between climate science, climate action, 
and energy transitions, and how do these texts flow across national 
borders and between distinct cultural contexts? Expanding recent 
analysis of climate films such as /Don’t Look Up!/ (Doyle, 2022), we are 
eager for contributions that examine how documentaries, artworks, 
literature, podcasts, and other cultural productions engage with the 
creative, emotional, and aesthetic dimensions of climate change and 
decarbonization on the local and global scale.

Submission & Deadlines

The special issue editors welcome extended abstracts of 500–800 words 
(not including references) describing the manuscript's research 
objective(s), methodology, and primary contribution, as well as a title 
page that includes contact information and abbreviated biographies for 
all authors.

Please send your extended abstracts by 31 January 2026 to 
(dlewis /at/ comillas.edu) <mailto:(dlewis /at/ comillas.edu)> and 
(saferruz /at/ comillas.edu) <mailto:(saferruz /at/ comillas.edu)>

A review of abstracts will be completed by 15 February 2026, and 
selected authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts by 15 May 
2026. These will undergo double-blind blind peer-review, and fully 
revised manuscripts will be due by 1 September 2026. The tentative 
publication date for the special issue will be February 2027.

No payment from the authors will be required.

Full details available here:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17480485251387788 
<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17480485251387788>





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