Dr. Denise Baden, founder of Green Stories, discusses the power of storytelling and positive climate narratives. They explore the impact of positive vs. negative storytelling, the concept of Thrutopias, and their #ClimateCharacters collaboration with BAFTAs. They also discuss how fictional narratives shape values, concerns about dystopian themes, and the role of culture in climate action.
Stories featuring positive behaviors drive better outcomes than fear-based narratives in driving climate action.
Storytelling can reach new audiences and inspire and engage people in climate solutions, bridging the gap between traditional communication methods and those who do not typically access sustainability content.
Deep dives
The Power of Storytelling for Climate Action
Dr. Denise Baden, Professor of Sustainable Business, discusses how storytelling can be a lever for climate action. Drawing from her own research, she highlights that stories featuring positive behaviors drive better outcomes than fear-based narratives. She explores how climate attitudes among her students have evolved over time. Dr. Baden also discusses her work at Green Stories, where she runs writing competitions focused on sustainability and storytelling. She emphasizes the need to reach new audiences who may not engage with traditional climate communication methods. Ultimately, Dr. Baden advocates for using storytelling to inspire and engage people in climate solutions.
Championing Sustainable Business
Dr. Denise Baden, Professor of Sustainable Business, shares insights from her role at the University of Southampton. She teaches courses on corporate social responsibility and sustainable business, emphasizing the importance of integrating sustainability across all aspects of business education. Dr. Baden also reflects on her transition from academia to storytelling, driven by the realization that academic papers and traditional communication methods often fail to engage new audiences. She emphasizes the need to reach those who do not typically access sustainability content and highlights the value of storytelling in bridging this gap.
Effective Storytelling Approaches for Climate Change
Dr. Denise Baden discusses her research on the effectiveness of different storytelling approaches in driving climate action. She explains that stories featuring positive behaviors and solutions tend to inspire intentions to engage in environmentally friendly actions. In contrast, fear-based narratives and disaster scenarios often result in passive despair rather than active engagement. Dr. Baden shares examples from her own studies and emphasizes the importance of shifting from a 'we should' mindset to an 'I will' or 'I did' mindset. By highlighting inspiring role models and positive solutions, storytelling can effectively motivate individuals to take climate-positive actions.
The Role of Storytelling in Shifting Cultural Norms
Dr. Denise Baden discusses the potential of storytelling to catalyze cultural change, specifically in relation to climate action. She explores the power of narratives in shaping societal values and norms, drawing examples from popular culture and media. Dr. Baden emphasizes that portraying sustainable behaviors in mainstream storytelling can help normalize and promote low-carbon lifestyles. She suggests that through positive and entertaining stories, it is possible to shift cultural attitudes and inspire individuals to adopt climate-positive behaviors. Dr. Baden highlights ongoing efforts by organizations, such as Green Stories and initiatives like the Climate Characters Campaign, to promote storytelling for climate action.
Dr. Denise Baden is Professor of Sustainable Business at the University of Southampton and founder of Green Stories.
At Green Stories, Dr. Baden has run 16 writing competitions since 2018, focused around sustainability and storytelling. She is herself also the author of multiple eco-fiction novels, including Habitat Man and is the editor of a collection of short stories called No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save Our Planet. She's working with BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, on a project about the role of screenwriters in consumer culture. And she's co-created the #ClimateCharacters campaign with them to highlight TV and movie characters who take on climate positive lifestyle behaviors.
Dr. Baden and Cody have a wide-ranging conversation about the role of storytelling as a lever for climate action, her work in researching how characters who demonstrate positive behaviors tend to drive better outcomes than fear mongering via disaster scenarios, and how the climate attitudes amongst her students have changed during her time in academia.
In this episode, we cover:
[02:37]: Dr. Baden's realization about the impact of storytelling while teaching ethics
[04:35]: Her findings on the impact of positive vs. negative storytelling
[09:50]: The concept of Thrutopias and Dr. Baden’s Green Stories competitions
