In March, researchers, communicators, policymakers, civil society actors and engaged citizens came together for the Environmental Communication Conference 2025 – Critical and Creative Approaches to Environmental Communication – Storytelling as, and for, Sustainability, hosted by the Mistra Environmental Communication research programme. Held every other year, the conference was quickly fully booked – reflecting a strong interest in this year’s theme: Storytelling as, and for, Sustainability. 

“Arranging this conference has been very inspiring and a lot of fun! We were happily surprised by the large interest from a range of individuals and organisations – the event reached full capacity long before the registration deadline,” said Eva Friman and Maria Nyström from the organising committee. 

The programme featured everything from academic presentations and roundtables to workshops, escape rooms, and art exhibitions – creating a transdisciplinary space for reflection and dialogue. During the sessions, people with diverse backgrounds came together and dived into the topic of storytelling for sustainability, learning from each other and developing insights together. 

“We were amazed by the diverse contributions to the conference! Though it was crowded, participants came together to create a critical, creative and kind atmosphere that allowed the exploration of storytelling in an intellectual, emotional, and practical way,” said Eva Friman and Maria Nyström. 

Storytelling has the power to make complex science more relatable, evoke emotions, amplify voices that are not usually heard, and spark the imagination of more sustainable futures. The conference explored both the potential and the risks of storytelling in a time of environmental crisis and misinformation. 

“Finally, a space like this in academia! I enjoyed the format of the program with various modes of presenting and ways to participate. Blurring the line between participants and creators into co-creating meaningful experiences on storytelling and narratives was interesting”, said one participant in the conference evaluation. 

Lastly, Eva and Maria added: “A sincere thank you to all participants, from public authorities and agencies, businesses, NGOs, universities, research institutes, as well as media, museums and the arts! We are equally grateful to our excellent keynote speaker: the critical and creative professor Mike Wilson, professor of drama at Loughborough University.”

Read more about the conference and highlights in this summary document. 

Are you interested in learning more about Environmental Communication? If so, stay tuned for the Environmental Communication Day (Miljökommunikationsdagen) happening on October 8. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn to keep informed about upcoming events.