Communicating Climate Change

This episode features a conversation with communication designer, researcher, and semiotician, Dr. Laura Santamaria. It was recorded in January 2024.Laura’s work focuses on developing insights and methodologies for influencing paradigm change towards social and environmental justice. And her passion lies in empowering organisations and professionals with the necessary tools to achieve such change.With over two decades of experience in brand strategy, design innovation and cultural research, she has honed her skills across a wide array of sectors, including finance, consumer goods, fashion, charities, and startups.Laura is currently Research Lead at the Royal College of Art’s School of Communication, while continuing her work as an independent consultant in the private sector.Amongst other things, Laura and I discussed how humans, whether as individuals or in communities, construct meaning, how meanings can become appropriated or changed over time, and why deep contextual knowledge is vital to understanding how climate messages might be received by given audiences.Additional links: Laura’s paper entitled, “Seeing the Invisible: revisiting the value of critical tools in design research for social change”.Another good one entitled, “It’s All About Con[Text]: A Design Semiotics Approach for Managing Meaning-Value in Innovation Processes” from Marketing Semiotics: A Research Guide for Marketers at the Edge of Culture.The Words that Work guide, which Laura contributed to and is a great read.Plus a fascinating paper Laura shared from Wolsko, and colleagues, entitled, “Red, White, and Blue Enough to Be Green: Effects of Moral Framing on Climate Change Attitudes and Conservation Behaviors.”And some additional insight from Jane Bryson, from 2008. “Dominant, Emergent, and Residual Culture: The Dynamics of Organizational Change.”

This episode features a conversation with psychologist, Markus Appel. It was recorded in November 2023.Markus is professor of media communication at the University of Würzburg, Germany. His work sits at the intersection of psychology and communication science, with major research areas including life in the digital age, media and reality, and, most pertinent to our conversation, narratives and persuasion. Amongst other things, Markus and I discussed the ability of stories to impact people’s attitudes and behaviours, what makes some stories more persuasive than others, and some caution that communicators should keep in mind when using the powerful tool that is storytelling.Additional links: Markus’ websiteAccess Markus’ research into narratives and persuasion hereAn example of education entertainment in Ethiopian radio soap operasThe McKee Triangle of story structures

This episode features a conversation with game designer, Matt Leacock. It was recorded in January 2024.Matt is best known as a designer of cooperative games, including Pandemic, Pandemic Legacy, Forbidden Island, and Daybreak. Pandemic, first published in 2008, has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and is available in over 30 languages. Matt’s latest game, Daybreak challenges players to stop climate change. Amongst other things, Matt and I discussed the role of play in learning, the ways that games can help people understand and model complexity, and how increased interactivity can deepen audience engagement on climate issues.Photo by Owen Duffy.Additional links: Daybreak websiteDaybreak gameplay videoMatt Leacock websiteWashington Post climate warming guessing game

This episode features a conversation with Florencia Lujani, Strategy Director at ACT Climate Labs. It was recorded in November 2023.With over 15 years’ experience working at a slew of top creative agencies, Florencia is an expert in brand strategy, creative planning and ideation, as well as in consumer and cultural insights. She has developed strategies and creative campaigns for globally recognised brands and non-profits like YouTube, Friends of the Earth, KitKat, Greenpeace, Chelsea football club, O2, the Olympic Games, and many more. In her role at ACT Climate Labs, Florencia now supports climate organisations reach a new audience called “The Persuadables,” who are considered key to increasing public support for climate action. Amongst other things, Florencia and I discussed the latest research conducted to better understand the persuadables, the ways that information we’re exposed to shapes our perceptions of the world, and lessons that those working in the climate space could learn from marketing and advertising.Additional links: Visit the ACT Climate Labs websiteAccess the latest Persuadables research hereRead more about the Persuadables here

This episode features a conversation Funmibi Ogunlesi, interim Head of Messaging at NEON, an organization working to accelerate social movements through training, relationship building, incubation, and infrastructure support. It was recorded at the beginning of November 2023.In her role, Funmibi supports the likes of campaigners and activist groups in communicating their issues with effective frames and powerful messages. She was part of the Framing Climate Justice project and was one of the writers of the Climate Justice guide. She’s since gone on to write guides for COP, including on Loss and Damage. Amongst other things, Funmibi and I discussed the impact that different framing strategies can have on people’s perception of an issue, why pointing the finger at those responsible for the harms around us is essential, and how doing so can combat fatalism and help give people agency to act.Additional links: Visit the NEON websiteThe Framing Climate Justice projectThe Climate Justice guideFind more info about ULEZ hereExplore the Green New Deal Rising campaignWatch the recording of “Attack, Engage or Ignore? The role of ‘the enemy’ in climate narratives” here

This episode features a conversation Nick Oldridge, co-founder of Climate Science Breakthrough, a project working to translate the hard data of climate change into emotional, shareable, and actionable formats. It was recorded in November 2023.Nick is an advocate for climate awareness and is an ambassador for Zero Hour, a campaign in support of establishing the UK’s Climate & Ecology Bill. He dedicates himself to narrowing the divide between the general public and the complexities of climate science. Nick applies his background in marketing to his work in environmental advocacy, bringing this experience to bear in his efforts to convey intricate climate issues to a diverse audience.Motivated by a pressing need to broaden the public's grasp of climate science, in 2023, Nick co-founded Climate Science Breakthrough alongside climate communications lab, Utopia Bureau, and is focused on initiating a societal transformation that accelerates climate action. Recent videos in the Climate Science Translated series include contributions from comedians Jonathan Pie, Nish Kumar, and Jo Brand.Amongst other things, Nick and I discussed the rationale behind Climate Science Breakthrough’s work bringing together climate scientists and comedians to create viral climate content, what makes comedians a useful vehicle for this kind of information in the first place, and the value that marketing minds can bring to the climate context. Additional links: Watch the latest videos from Climate Science Breakthrough on YouTubeVisit the Climate Science Breakthrough websiteFollow the project on Instagram or Twitter.

This episode features a conversation with seasoned scholar, author, and expert on all-things activism, Professor Dana R. Fisher. It was recorded in October 2023.Dana is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity at American University. She’s a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution, is President of the Eastern Sociological Society, and is the chair-elect of the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association. She served as a Contributing Author for Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Review, writing about citizen engagement and civic activism, and her media appearances include, to name but a few: ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, NPR, BBC, and CBC. And her words have appeared in likes of the Washington Post, Slate, TIME Magazine, Politico, Vox, and the New York Times. Professor Fisher has authored over 75 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and her seventh book, Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action, which formed the basis of our conversation, will be will be out in early 2024. Pre-order it here.Amongst other things, Dana and I discussed the role of disruptive tactics within the broader climate movement, the relationship between such tactics and the media, and what the future will likely hold when it comes to activism associated with the climate crisis.Additional links: Pre-order Dana’s latest book Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate ActionVisit Dana’s websiteSee Dana on TMZ talking about the radical flank effect

This episode features a conversation with Kevin Green, of international conservation and development organization, Rare. It was recorded in October 2023.Kevin leads Rare’s Center for Behavior & the Environment, collaborating with field staff, partners and researchers in bringing the best insights from the science of human behavior to bear on the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.Kevin, who holds a Master’s degree in international development and economics from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology from Washington and Lee University, is a faculty member of the Kinship Conservation Fellows program. He has previously held roles in research at the Nature Conservancy and the Worldwatch Institute.Amongst other things, Kevin and I discussed Rare’s eight principles for effective and inviting climate communication, the unrivaled ability that humans have for solving certain types of problems, and the challenge communicators therefore face in communicating climate change in such a way that makes it the type of problem we’re already adept at solving.Additional links: Rare’s Eight Principles for Effective & Inviting Climate CommunicationRare’s Center for Behavior & The EnvironmentSwitch by Dan and Chip Heath, a book recommendation from Kevin telling the story of the St. Lucia parrot. The smart-meter study that Kevin referred to in our chat about norms.

This episode features a conversation with international communications expert, Josephine Latu-Sanft. It was recorded in September 2023.With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, communications, and education, Josephine’s work focuses on global issues like climate change, ocean protection, and sustainable development. Advocating for the empowerment of small island developing nations or, as I’ll be calling them from now on, big ocean sustainable states, Josephine draws from her personal experience growing up in climate-vulnerable Tonga. Amongst other things, we discussed the need to challenge portrayals of climate-vulnerable peoples in the media, the ways that words can influence reality, and the power that shifting established narratives can have on the perceptions and perspectives of such communities. Additional links: Check out Josephine’s TEDX talk hereFollow Josephine on X (formerly Twitter)

This episode features a conversation with disaster communication specialist, Dr Dennis John Sumaylo. It was recorded in June 2023.In his work, Dennis investigates the intersection of pre-disaster communication and community engagement in the context of geographic isolation and socio-economic inequalities. Examining these issues has helped him design multimodal and gamified learning tools for supplementing disaster risk reduction classes in the Philippines. His new book, entitled, Engaging Isolated Communities in Disaster Preparation and Communication in the Philippines is published through Springer Nature, explores social power, relationships, and experiences as avenues to community engagement in pre-disaster communication.Amongst other things, Dennis and I discussed a range of real-world audiences and the ways that their respective experiences with disasters impact their communications needs, we delved into the roles of trust and power in disaster communication, and the value of a media spotlight when it comes to disaster recovery and relief. Additional links: Dennis’ book Engaging Isolated Communities in Disaster Preparation and Communication in the PhilippinesThe fantastic book on climate communication that led me to Dennis’ work