KQED's Forum How Can Climate Entertainment Help Us Talk About Climate Change?
Mar 31, 2026
John Marshall, nonprofit marketing leader using focus-group research to sharpen climate messages. Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, cultural strategist pushing inclusivity and on-screen sustainability. Sammy Roth, reporter on climate and culture with film and TV examples. Jessica Kutz, climate storyteller analyst tracking representation in media. They discuss how small on-screen choices, comedy, genre variety, and industry partnerships can normalize climate action.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Holiday Films Slip In Climate Jokes
- Tamara Toles O'Laughlin spotted unexpected climate lines in holiday films like Turkey Hollow and Dashing Through the Snow.
- She notes Turkey Hollow's environmentalist protagonist and a joke in the Christmas film that coal was stopped because it's bad for the climate.
Use The Climate Reality Check Test
- Use Good Energy's three-part climate reality check to judge whether climate matters in a story.
- Tamara Toles O'Laughlin explains the test: set on Earth, acknowledges climate, and a character recognizes it.
Small Cultural Nudges Raise Climate Salience
- Brief cultural reminders raise climate salience among people who care but don't prioritize it politically.
- Sammy Roth notes polls show many worry about climate yet rank it low among voting priorities, so daily media nudges help.