Communicating Climate Change

This episode features a conversation with climate disinformation specialist, Jennie King. Recorded at the end of September 2022. Jennie is Head of Civic Action and Education at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, or ISD, leading efforts to translate their digital research into frontline programming and response. She co-authored the current ‘Be Internet Citizens’ curriculum, formally accredited for UK schools, and provides regular briefings for UK government departments and regulators, UNESCO, and parallel European and US bodies on systemic approaches to media literacy. Jennie also oversees ISD’s portfolio on Climate Mis- and Disinformation, supporting a coalition of over 30 organisations worldwide to identify, analyse and counter the related harms. This includes running the first ever COP ‘War Room’ monitoring disinformation threats at the COP26 summit, which is running again at COP27, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In June 2022, Jennie launched the largest ever report on this issue - titled, ‘Deny, Deceive, Delay: Documenting and Responding to Climate Disinformation at COP26 and Beyond’ - on behalf of the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition.I was thrilled that she took the time to talk to me about climate disinformation, the role of social media in spreading it, and, amongst other things, some concrete ways that we can make a difference in the information war.Additional links:Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s websiteDeny, Deceive, Delay: Documenting and Responding to Climate Disinformation at COP26 and Beyond (Executive Summary)Deny, Deceive, Delay: Documenting and Responding to Climate Disinformation at COP26 and Beyond (Full Report)

This episode features a conversation with Pan-African and decolonisation Activist, Mbong Akiy Fokwa Tsafack. Recorded in late October 2022. Mbong, who was born in Cameroon, now lives in South Africa, where she works as Head of Communications at Greenpeace Africa. As you’ll hear, Mbong started her career as a television news anchor, and with more than fifteen years of experience working in the industry, is now a media expert, a seasoned communication strategist, and a passionate writer, with an obsession for narratives and story. Simply put, amplifying the voices of communities at the frontline of any struggle – whether it be environmental, social, legal - is what she’s all about.Amongst other things, we talked about the power of framing, the role of communication in activism, and what it takes to engage audiences on the African continent. Additional links:Greenpeace Africa‘From Crafting Headlines to Influencing them’: Greenpeace Africa Head of Communications’ Decade of Activism

This episode of Communicating Climate Change features a conversation with decorated scientist, consultant, and all-round gem of a human, Susanne Moser. Recorded in August 2022. It serves as a starting point for the series, taking a zoomed-out look at where we are right now and where we need to go when it comes to this pressing topic. Susi’s resume is long and distinguished, but some highlights include her roles as Social Science Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment; as staff scientist for climate change at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and her contributions to several IPCC reports. Her work focuses on equitable adaptation and transformation in the face of climate change; on climate change communication in support of social change; and decision support and the interactions between scientists, policy-makers, and the public. She’s also been responsible for a number of influential books, including as co-editor of the ground-breaking anthology on climate change communication, “Creating a Climate for Change”, alongside Lisa Dilling. In fact, this book is exactly what led me to reach out to Susi in the first place and, as you’ll hear, had a real impact on me. It also provided a perfect jumping-off point for our conversation, which weaves through what’s still missing in a lot of communication around climate change, what communicators could do differently, and how technology has changed the game. Additional links:Susanna Moser’s websiteCreating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change and Facilitating Social ChangeReflections on climate change communication research and practice in the second decade of the 21st century: What more is there to say?

Communicating Climate Change is a podcast dedicated to helping you do just that. By digging deep into the best practices, the worst offenses, the pitfalls, and the paragons, we'll be looking for ways to help you – and me – improve our abilities to engage, empower, and ultimately, activate audiences on climate-related issues. We’ll hear from experts producing the latest science, activists working at the front lines of the crisis, artists, NGOs, players from the private sector, and many more, bringing together a wide range of perspectives to help us be more impactful in the ways that we communicate climate change. Each and every episode is an attempt to add to our toolkits. To help us develop the muscles we’ll need for this grand task. So, if you want to start communicating climate change more effectively, then tune in, subscribe, and tell your friends and colleagues about Communicating Climate Change.