Climate & Environment

Risk Communication

Meaning statusEstablishedSource recordDirect document linkedWhy these are different

Definition

Risk communication is the interactive exchange of information and opinion about risks among assessors, managers, affected communities and the wider public. Effective practice is two-way: listening to concerns and knowledge as well as conveying assessments, being transparent about uncertainty, and enabling informed decisions rather than merely reassuring or alarming.

References

WHORisk communication

Supports definition and framing.

Overview

How it is used

The discipline structures WHO outbreak communication, chemical and nuclear safety engagement, climate risk communication, and corporate crisis and community relations practice.

Why it matters

Sustainability transitions require public trust in science and institutions; risk communication is where that trust is built or squandered.

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Meaning status
Established
Last verification recorded
22 Aug 2026
Last updated
22 Aug 2026
What the classifications mean

Meaning status: Established

EstablishedCurrentMultiple definitionsContestedEmergingIndexed