Language has been showed to be a key element for communicating climate change and shaping sustainable societies, yet large inequalities remain in terms of climate change education and awareness. Vulnerable groups include people with medical conditions such as poor mental health, who might experience linguistic and societal barriers and whose health can be worsened by climate change impact. The project will aim at identified linguistic strategies for feasible and effective intervention programs to promote climate change education and awareness in underserved populations, with specific reference to people with mental illnesses. Particular attention will be paid to pragmatic phenomena and metaphorical and multimodal communication, to increase knowledge about the health impacts of climate change, to prepare and cope with climate hazards, and promote intentions to practice recommended behaviors.

As-native knowledge of Italian is required. Experience in linguistics and pragmatics, psycho/neurolinguistics, and training in with mental rehabilitation are a plus.

The Laboratory of Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics at IUSS (https://www.neplab.it/) is devoted to the study of the neurocognitive correlates of language processing in typical and atypical conditions and across the lifespan, with a focus on pragmatics and metaphor. The team includes the PI Valentina Bambini, researchers and postdoctoral fellows, as well as PhD students, in an interdisciplinary and lively research environment. The Lab is fully equipped for behavioral and EEG experiments and has numerous connections with clinical facilities.