The two main tools used for disseminating environmental information are the internet and mass media. Growing access to the Internet is a testimony to the rapid technical developments in the field of information technologies (IT) and the number of people they have reached (Walter, 2000).
But the increased penetration of the Internet shows that new opportunities for applications are seen in a wide range of contexts (Walter, 2000).
The use of the Internet as a dissemination instrument is no longer limited to commerce, travel and insurance but can be broadened to include areas such as environmental protection, which may involve not only the technicalities of processing environmental information, but also the means of effective delivery (Walter, 2000).
Ours is still a society where information spreads through personal encounter and by word of mouth. The audio-visual media have certain limitations but media provide use and views for the community leaders and opinion makers who in turn influence the beliefs and attitude of others (Durga, 2020).
Read Also : Methods of Dissemination of Environmental Information
The environmental education in formal and adult education programmes needs to be supported by the media. For a literate population, one alternative is the print media like newspapers and magazines.
The Global Environmental Change Programme of the UK Economic and Social Research Council for example, has used the media as a vehicle for research dissemination (most notably in the case of a Special Briefing on „The Politics of GM Food‟).
Media aids dissemination in the following ways (Durga, 2020):
Create awareness about environmental matters
Enable exposure to real life situations;
Acquaint with the conservation needs, problems and efforts; and
Acquaint with the philosophy and practice of sustainable development.