49 Media and Climate Change, & Campus Permeability

Dr Cormac Deane described two interconnected themes: teaching climate communication through media, and rethinking the physical permeability of IADT’s campus as a climate action strategy.

His final-year module, Media and Climate Change, equips media students to critically analyse how climate science and sustainability are represented in journalism, film, and digital platforms. Topics include science communication, climate culture wars, global north–south dynamics, and the emotional effects of data visualisation. The course frames climate change as a trans-scalar problem: one where human lifetimes and local contexts are dwarfed by planetary scales. Assignments require students to attend and report on local sustainability events, helping them connect everyday civic initiatives (e.g., active travel consultations) to global climate challenges.

Dr Deane linked this pedagogical lens to the design of IADT’s campus, which is currently only accessible from one side, limiting integration with its surrounding community. By opening up new pedestrian and cycling routes, IADT could transform into a permeable campus, connecting thousands of residents with sustainable travel infrastructure. Such design choices exemplify how small, local interventions can ripple across decades, shifting transport patterns, community interaction, and environmental impact.

He stated that ESD must help students move beyond feelings of guilt and paralysis by situating climate action as a collective, structural issue, not just an individual burden. Both his teaching and advocacy emphasise the importance of linking local, immediate actions to global, long-term scales — showing students how media and design can bridge the gap between awareness and agency.

About the author

name: Dr Cormac Deane

institution: Institute of Art, Design and Technology

Dr Cormac Deane is a Lecturer in Film and Media in the Department of Humanities at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology.