Communicating Climate Change

This episode features a conversation with Sam Narr, Founder and CEO of Kibbo Kift Agency, a specialist PR and performance marketing agency exclusively promoting climate solutions and social justice initiatives. Heavily influenced by his third-generation immigrant background, working-class roots, and an education in radical social movements and pop culture, Sam’s motivation to work in environmentalism stems from an ambition to rebalance society's social and racial inequities.Over the last five years, Kibbo Kift Agency has worked with 60+ clients including climate activists, corporate pressure groups, innovative tech start-ups, responsible fashion brands, global climate organisations, and more.Kibbo Kift's projects have included a national campaign with Greenpeace UK, a national campaign to pressure MPs to support the only proposed legislation that ensures a joined-up approach to tackling the dual climate and nature crises, as well as ongoing media management of advertising and PR pressure group Clean Creatives, and global press office management for the world's largest digital clock, The Climate Clock, which counts down the time left until humanity passes the 1.5C threshold.Amongst other things, Sam and I discussed the rightwards political shift happening across the UK, Europe, and the United States, where this issue gets tangled up with climate, and what can be learned from the campaigns that brought us Brexit and Trump.Additional links: Visit the Kibbo Kift Agency websiteCheck out the Climate and Nature Bill campaignExplore Britain Talks Climate from Climate OutreachDing dong, it’s The Climate ClockDig in to the Communicating Climate Change E-Learning Course on the Creatives for Climate Community HubSee The Brexit BusRead about the Stop the Boats campaignReclaiming Englishness with Caroline LucasCommunicating Climate Change Call-In Show #1

This episode features a conversation with investigative journalist, Tsira Gvasalia. It was recorded in person, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in August, 2024, at the n-ost conference for climate journalism. It is one of four episodes dedicated to issues complicating climate communication in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region. Tsira is an investigative and science journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is the founder of Cactus Media, a bilingual news platform raising awareness about the interconnection of human health and environmental pollution. Since 2010, she’s worked for a number of Georgian print and online media organizations, while also contributing to international outlets. With a focus on investigating corruption connected to natural resource extraction and environmental pollution in Georgia, as well as Russian business interests in precious metal mining across the region, Tsira works to shed light on the lack of climate, environment, and health data in Post-Soviet countries, stressing the importance of improving data collection and evidence-based decision-making processes. Amongst other things, Tsira and I discussed the challenges facing climate journalists living under rising authoritarianism, the interconnectedness of climate change and the rest of our lives, and the identity crises facing post-Soviet countries like Georgia, as they try to establish who they are and what they stand for. Additional links:Check out Tsira’s platform, Cactus MediaRead the article about gold mining producing golden pollutionRead about the Shovi landslide disasterKatherine Dunn’s piece about the Georgian Foreign Agent LawInstitute for the Study of War’s article about the 2024 Georgian electionTsira’s profile on the n-ost websiteTsira’s profile on the Journalismfund Europe website

This episode features a conversation with Alexei Ovchinnikov, Editor-in-Chief of the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group. It was recorded in person, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in August, 2024, at the n-ost conference for climate journalism. It is one of four episodes dedicated to issues complicating climate communication in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region. Alexei is a Belarusian environmental activist, journalist, researcher, and member of Green Network, an environmental organization in exile. He was an author and co-editor of independent Belarusian environmental media outlet, Green Belarus, as well as an author and co-editor of Ukrainian regional environmental protection platform, Eco.Rayon.In September 2021, he left Belarus for political reasons, first living in Ukraine and now in Georgia. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Alexei started to analyze and report on the environmental consequences of the conflict. Today, he continues his environmental activities in exile, organizing local environmental meetings and workshops, and advocating for international recognition of ecocide. Amongst other things, Alexei and I discussed climate propaganda, the need to perform due diligence when reporting on the environmental impacts of war, and the surprising solutions stories coming out of Ukraine. Additional links: Check out the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group websiteRead about the Kahovka dam incidentLearn about the impacts of the war on forestsAlexei’s profile on the n-ost websiteVisit the Razom We Stand websiteCheck out Ecoaction.ua

This episode features a conversation with Ukrainian journalist, Serhii Barbu. It was recorded in September, 2024.With over 10 years of experience as a professional journalist, Serhii specialises in covering energy-related issues. His main place of work is Kyiv-based, Channel 5, where he holds the position of a special correspondent and news anchor, and has previously acted as special correspondent from the UN headquarters in New York.Serhii also collaborates with two online publications: LB.ua and the Ukrainian Energy Magazine. I met Serhii at a conference on climate journalism organized by n-ost, a network for journalists reporting on Eastern Europe, held in Tbilisi, Georgia, earlier this year. I was there to hear the experiences of those reporting on climate despite a range of challenges, including censorship, authoritarianism, and full-scale war, and Serhii’s stories really stuck with me. I was very glad that he agreed to chat for the podcast. Amongst other things, Serhii and I discussed the intersection of climate change and the conflict in Ukraine, how climate-related disinformation is weaponised by the Russian war machine, and how climate doomism fails in the face of more immediate existential threats.Additional links: Channel 5’s YouTube channelUkraine’s Channel 5 news websiteCheck out LB.ua Serhii’s profile on the n-ost website

This episode features a conversation with Iryna Ponedelnik, Climate Project Manager at n-ost, a network for journalists reporting on Eastern Europe. It was recorded in person, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in August, 2024.Iryna is a science communicator who manages projects in the field of climate change, youth engagement, and the sustainable development goals. As well as her work at n-ost, Iryna is a representative of Green Network, a partnership of environmental organizations, activists, initiatives, and experts united for the development of the green movement in Belarus. She’s a board member of the Climate Action Network for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, has acted as an observer at COP and SB negotiations, and was awarded a green ticket for the UN Youth Climate Conference in 2019. Iryna and I met back in June of this year, during the UN Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany, where I was delivering some climate communications training alongside folks from UNU-EHS and UNFCCC. Iryna was quick to question the relevance of some approaches for contexts where, for example, freedom of speech was limited. Following further discussion, Iryna invited me to attend n-ost’s conference on climate journalism in Tbilisi, Georgia, to hear the experiences of those reporting on climate despite a range of challenges, including censorship, authoritarianism, and full-scale war.Amongst other things, Iryna and I discussed the lack of visibility the region has on the international stage, the surreality of being labeled an extremist, and the need to live in exile in order to talk about climate change.Additional links: Check out the Climate Action Network Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central AsiaFind out more about the n-ost network for cross-border journalismRead about and support Green Network

This episode features a conversation with Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa, Executive Director of Climate Cardinals, one of the world’s largest youth-led climate advocacy organisations, who work to make the climate movement more accessible to those who don’t speak English. It was recorded in August, 2024.In his role, Hikaru oversees a volunteering program that is projected to grow to over 60,000 volunteers by the end of 2024, translating climate-related information into over 100 different languages.Hikaru established Climate Cardinals’ signature translation program in partnership with Translators Without Borders and Google Cloud,  expanding the organisation’s translation capacity to a million words per year. Under Hikaru’s watch, Climate Cardinals has handled translation requests for over two million words of climate information, has fundraised for a six-figure budget, and became one of the first-ever youth-led organizations to be funded by Google’s philanthropic branch. Hikaru represents Climate Cardinals as part of UNESCO’s Youth Climate Action Network Steering Committee, a network of networks that represents over 10 million youth climate activists, and has spoken about his work for the Smithsonian, the UN Development Programme, the Italian Ministry of the Environment, the March On Foundation, Williams College, and the U.S. Interagency Group on Climate Literacy. His work has also been featured in Axios, the Guardian, Forbes, and Teen Vogue.All this, while still a university student.Amongst other things, Hikaru and I discussed the fact that more than 90% of scientific information about climate change is only available in English, the challenges that this presents in terms of engagement and justice for the global majority, and the power this translation gap has when it comes to fueling climate misinformation.Additional links: Visit the Climate Cardinals websiteClimate Cardinals Founder Sophia Kianni’s TED TalkJoin the Climate Cardinals mailing listCandis Callison’s book, “How Climate Comes to Matter”

This time, instead of chatting to a special guest, listeners just like you are joining the conversation. It’s a Call-In Show!Over the last couple of months, all kinds of voice messages have been submitted by listeners to act as a springboard for brainstorming, problem solving, and broader discussion around a range of climate communication challenges, observations, and questions. Through the course of this episode, we’ll dig into a number of them, exploring themes like greenwashing, backfire effects, and some other fundamentals of the craft. But we won’t just be pointing out flaws and failures. This is a show about solutions. So, I’ll be looking to a kaleidoscope of disciplines and perspectives, as well as the wisdom of previous Communicating Climate Change podcast guests, to find a path forward in each case.If you want to leave a voice message of your own, whether to respond to a topic discussed in this episode or to raise a new one for consideration for the next call-in show, just head over to the Call-In Show page. It couldn’t be easier to get involved!Guidance on submitting to the Call-In Show:Step 1: Go to the Call-In Show page.Step 2: Hit the “Start Recording” button.Step 3: Describe your challenge, example, or observation.Step 4: Hit the “Stop” button when you’re done.Step 5: Enter your name and email if you want (it’s optional) and hit “Send”. Step 6: Tune in to the Call-In Show to see if your message gets featured!I can’t wait hear from you!Additional linksSee Ellie’s original post about the restaurant hereRead the original magazine article here (note that this has now been updated and no longer features the steak restaurant being discussed)Check out the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency documentation for the Alpro and BrewDog casesExplore the Creatives for Climate Greenwash Watch TrainingListen to Communicating Climate Change With Alexandra Borchardt exploring climate journalism that worksListen to Communicating Climate Change With Jennie King digging into climate mis- and disinformationListen to Communicating Climate Change With Harriet Kingaby on all things greenwashingHere’s the Guardian article raised in Joseph’s callDiscover my foundational course in climate change communication on the Creatives for Climate community hubListen to Communicating Climate Change With John Marshall about climate messaging that worksListen to Communicating Climate Change With Thomas Coombes about hope-based communicationsListen to Communicating Climate Change With Florencia Lujani about engaging the persuadablesListen to Communicating Climate Change With Funmibi Ogunlesi about communication framingRead the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication article about pro-climate votersListen to Communicating Climate Change With Kevin Green about behaviour changeListen to Communicating Climate Change With Marcos Pelenur about what we can learn from behavioural insights

This episode features a conversation with Iminza Mbwaya, Programme Manager at Sounds Right, a platform for global music artists to help nature fund its own conservation. It was recorded in September, 2024.Sounds Right is an initiative by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, an agile extension of the United Nations, exploring unconventional pathways to spark global empathy, action and change through the power of popular culture and dialogue. At Sounds Right, Iminza brings strategic, creative, and legal skillsets to the table to support the program development, design, and implementation. Before joining the UN Live team, Iminza worked with Dalberg Global Development Advisors and afrocentric impact firm, Axum, where, amongst other things, her work focused on designing and piloting novel concepts for outsized impact and sustainable returns. Iminza is also a performing singer-songwriter and has a background in Intellectual Property Law, where she advised creatives and businesses on how to identify, protect, and monetize their intellectual property assets. Amongst other things, Iminza and I discussed the real-world impacts of presenting nature as an independent music artist, what happens to the royalties generated through Sounds Right, and how reconceptualising nature in this way can shift how we think about and engage with it altogether.Additional links: Head to the Sounds Right websiteExplore NATURE’s discography on SpotifyDiscover a playlist of top NATURE collaborations on SpotifyCheck out the Museum for the United Nations websiteVisit the EarthPercent website

This episode features a conversation with Brooklyn-based climate communicator, creator, and independent reporter, Jacob Simon. It was recorded in August 2024.As the mind behind Jacobsimonsays, a platform telling real stories of progress to replace dread and fear with hope and action, Jacob inspires his audience of well over half a million people across social media and his newsletter, Climativity, to overcome eco-anxiety and get involved with tackling the climate crisis through optimism, community, and action.Jacobsimonsays has racked up more than 83 million views, over 11 million likes, and maintains a following of more than 700,000 individuals who tune in every day to hear stories about those tackling the climate crisis and learn about simple and impactful actions they can take to protect the environment.Amongst other things, Jacob and I discussed the trials and tribulations of being a social media influencer, where to draw your line in the sand when it comes to collaborations, and the kinds of content that performs best on climate and environmental topics.Additional links: Follow Jacobsimonsays on TikTokFollow Jacobsimonsays on InstagramVisit the Jacobsimonsays websiteCheck out Jacob’s Climativity newsletterRead Social tipping dynamics for stabilizing Earth’s climate by 2050

This episode features a conversation with Bogdan Glogovac, Partnerships Manager at Ducky, a Norwegian technology company working to turn climate efforts from a solo struggle into something fun, collaborative and engaging. It was recorded in July 2024.With a background in Ecology, Marine Biology, and Conservation, Bogdan has spent more than a decade nurturing strategic relationships, creating and managing climate campaigns, and facilitating climate engagement workshops for a wide range of stakeholders across the public and private sectors. Ducky offers software solutions to help track, report and reduce organizational climate footprints. One such solution, Ducky Challenge, is a digital competition that helps companies, communities, and collectives raise climate awareness and educate peers in a fun and engaging bottom-up approach.As a father of three boys and a member of Trondheim-based improvisational theater group "Gibberish", Bogdan is passionate about playfulness. Something that, as you’ll hear, plays a major part in his life and work.  Amongst other things, Bogdan and I discussed the art of turning data into stories, the magic and mechanics of gamification, and what the wisdom of improv has to offer when it comes to tackling challenges like climate change. Additional links: Visit the Ducky websiteExplore Ducky ChallengeDiscover the Forest appLearn more about Green Apes