Dr Gabi Mocatta

Awarded the 2022 IAMCR New Directions for Climate Communication Research Fellowship by the International Association for Media and Communication Research, in collaboration with the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA). 

Environmental communication, science communication, climate change communication

Environmental protests and social movements

Investigative journalism on the environment

Media literacy and environmental literacy

Environmental justice and inequality 

Global journalism

Research Fellow in Climate Change Communication, Climate Futures, Discipline of Geography, University of Tasmania. 

Research Affiliate, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado, Boulder.

I teach mainly postgraduate journalism subjects, including news and feature writing, multimedia journalism and transmedia storytelling, strategic communication, global journalism and communication research methods.

I have unit chair these units at Deakin:

ACX702 Applied Research Methods for Communication

ALJ715 Multimedia Storytelling

ACX707/708 Professional Research Project

ACX704/705/706 Academic Research Project

ALJ721 Global Journalism

Mocatta, G (2013) 'CSR communication vs. protest movement campaign in Chile: A case study of the HidroAysén megaproject debate', CSR Communication Conference 2013 Conference Proceedings, 18-20 September, Denmark, pp. 40-48. ISBN 978-961-235-678-1

Mocatta, G (2015) 'Media, symbolism and becoming emblematic: lessons from an enduring environmental conflict in Chile', The 2015 Conference on Communication and the Environment in Boulder, 11-14 June, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 10. 

Mocatta G, (2019) 'Energy that's as clean as water: tracking mediatized discourse on hydroelectric dam building and climate change in Chile', The 2019 Conference on Communication and Environment in Vancouver, 17-21 June, Vancouver, Canada, pp. 24. 

Mocatta, G (2019) 'Creating environmental communicators: media education for environmental change', Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia, 4-6 December, University of Sydney.

Mocatta, G (2020) 'Environmental harm as impetus to repoliticisation: experience from Chile', ICA Conference on Open Communication, 20-26 May, (virtual).

Mocatta G (2022) ‘Journalism and the climate crisis: defining a pathway forward’, Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia Conference, Perth, 6-9th December. 

Mocatta G, Vella S, Hess K, and Hawley E (2022) ‘Imaging environmental harms? An exploration of news media visualisation of the brumby’, Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia Conference, Perth, 6-9th December.

Mocatta G & Hawley E (2023) Communicating environment in a time of crisis: Communication imperatives of environmental thought leaders in the ‘crucial decade’ Conference on Communication and the Environment 2023, James Madison University, Harrisonburg Virginia, 5-9th June.

Vice-President of the International Environmental Communication Association (2021-2023) and President (2023-2025)

Reviewer for the Routledge Environment & Sustainability list

Reviewer for Weather, Climate & Society

Reviewer for Environmental Communication

Mocatta, G, “Talking Point: We’re in the final decade it will be possible to fix climate change”, The Mercury, News Pty. Ltd., Hobart, Tasmania, 20 September (2019) [Newspaper Article]

Williamson, G and Mocatta, G and Harris, R and Remenyi, T, “Yes, the Australian bush is recovering from bushfires – but it may never be the same”, The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 19 February 2020 (2020) [Newspaper Article]

Mocatta, G and White, R, “This is how universities can lead climate action”, The Conversation, Australia (2020) [Newspaper Article]

Mocatta, G and Harris, R and Remenyi, T, “Pass the shiraz: how Australia’s wine industry can adapt to climate change”, The Guardian, Guardian Australia, Australia, 16 June 2020 (2020) [Newspaper Article]

Mocatta, G, “With increased awareness and visibility, climate optimism set to rise”, Breakfast with Taylah, RTR FM 92.1, Perth, Western Australia, 7 May 2021 (2021) [Media Interview]

Mocatta, G and Harris, R, “More reasons for optimism on climate change than we’ve seen for decades: 2 climate experts explain”, The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 26 April 2021 (2021) [Newspaper Article]

Mocatta, G, "What's behind News Corp's new spin on climate change?" The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 18 October 2021 (2021) [Newspaper Article]

Mocatta, G and Lucas, C, “Children deserve answers to their questions about climate change. Here’s how universities can help”, The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 19 October 2021 (2021) [Newspaper Article]

Mocatta, G, "News Corp & Climate Change", Joy FM 94.9 Current Affairs, 23 October 2021 [Media Interview]

Mocatta, G, "What’s behind News Corp’s new spin on climate change?", Deakin Disruptr, 27 October 2021 [Media article}

Mocatta, G, "Rupert Murdoch's News Corp pivots on climate change", Here & Now, NPR, USA, 9 November 2021 [Media Interview]

Beasy, K, Lucas, C, Mocatta, G, Kelly, R and Pecl, G, "How well does the new Australian Curriculum prepare young people for climate change?" The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 23 May 2022 (2022) [Newspaper Article]

Co-lead of the Advancing Regional and Rural Society and Culture research group at Deakin. Leading climate and environmental communication research within this group. 

Strand leader within the Centre for Regenerative Futures, SCCA, leading research on environmental education and literacy.

2001 University of Melbourne International Research Scholarship and Fee Remission Scholarship

2010 Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship

2010 University of Tasmania Elite Scholarship

2018 University of Tasmania Teaching Excellence Award

2020 Commendation for Service Excellence to CoSE (College of Science and Engineering) at the University of Tasmania as part of the Climate Futures research program

2021 Deakin University Faculty of Arts and Education Teaching and Learning Award for Curriculum Design that is Innovative, Motivates and Inspires 

2022 IAMCR Climate Communication Research Fellowship Award

2022 Steve E. Depoe Award for Best Book Chapter in Environmental Communication, (US National Communication Association)

2022 Green Gowns Australasia Award for Benefitting Society

2022 Vice Chancellor's Award for Engagement (University of Tasmania)

Environmental Communication in a Time of Crisis, a research collaboration with Dr Erin Hawley that examines the nexus between media literacy and environmental literacy on a planet in crisis. A book arising out of this project is due for publication by Routledge in 2024.

Collaborator with A/Prof. Max Boykoff et al. at the University of Colorado, Boulder, on the MeCCO (Media and Climate Change Observatory) project, contributing monitoring and analysis of Russian media coverage of climate change.

Global Environmental Thought Leaders project. This project (with Dr Erin Hawley) has interviewed 25 global environmental thought leaders to better understand the imperative of environmental discourses and leadership in this current crucial decade for action on climate change. 

'Awareness, education and communication for compund natural hazards'. This project for Natural Hazards Research Australia will establish best-practice communication to enhance awareness and preparedness for extreme weather events in the context of climate change.

'Covering the planet?' Investigating the state of climate and environmental journalism globally. This project for the global media support NGO Internews will investiagte and benchmark climate and environmental journalism, allowing a better understanding of its enables, and obstacles.