Communicating Climate Change

This episode features a conversation experienced environmental communications practitioner, Joanna Benn. It was recorded in November 2022. Jo, who works as Director of Strategic Communications Partnerships and Special Projects at the Nature Conservancy, specialises in communicating, campaigning, and writing on international environmental issues. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, has worked across the globe for think tanks, foundations, and NGOs, as well as the United Nations Environment Programme.Our discussion jumps off from a recent article Jo wrote about her feeling that the environmental movement is somewhat lacking when it comes to imagination, as well as on getting real with audiences and providing vivid visions of the future and what it will entail for us all. Additional links:Jo’s article The Climate Crisis is a Crisis of ImaginationThe Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley RobinsonThe Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett CarnacEarth4All from The Club of Rome

This episode features a conversation with narrative scholar, Michael D. Jones. It was recorded in September 2022. Mike is Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Department of Political Science and faculty fellow at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. He got his PhD in Political Science back in 2010 and went on to be a postdoctoral fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. Currently, he’s editor-in-chief of the Policy Studies Journal and has published in a broad range of journals including Political Psychology, Social Science Quarterly, Policy and Politics, and Critical Policy Studies, amongst others. Mike’s primary research interest is policy theory, where he has devoted most of his attention to developing the Narrative Policy Framework, a framework focused on understanding the role of stories in shaping policy processes and outcomes.Our conversation centres around all things narrative, talking about the building blocks that make up stories, why narratives are better than just presenting facts, and some aspects of narrative design that we ought to pay attention to in our communication efforts. Additional links:Michael D. Jones on TwitterA Narrative Policy Framework: Clear Enough to Be Wrong?Cultural Characters and Climate Change: How Heroes Shape Our Perception of Climate ScienceCommunicating Climate Change: Are Stories Better than “Just the Facts”?Narratives as tools for influencing policy change

This episode features a conversation with Marcos Pelenur, Head of Sustainability and Decarbonization at the Behavioural Insights Team, Americas. It was recorded at the beginning of October 2022. The Behavioural Insights Team generates and applies behavioural insights to inform policy, improve public services, and deliver results for citizens and society at large. And in his role, Marcos works to develop and implement the Behavioural Insights Team’s sustainability and decarbonization strategy. Previously, Marcos headed up Strategy, Insights and Regulations at New Zealand’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, which has the mission of mobilising New Zealanders to be world leaders in clean and clever energy use. Here, Marcos worked across government entities to deliver strong, evidence-based programme design, as well as the implementation of energy efficiency standards and regulations. Prior to this, Marcos worked across a range of senior policy leadership positions at New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment and also headed the Behavioural Insights Team’s work on energy and sustainability in the UK. He’s guest lectured on Behavioural Economics at the University of Victoria and taught "Introduction to Behavioural Economics for Policy" for the New Zealand Government Economics Network. He holds a PhD and MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge. And before all of that, Marcos worked as an engineer in smart metering and energy management. Our conversation, which is packed with actions for us, as communicators, to consider in association with our outreach, covers the many and varied ways that behavioural insights can contribute to more effective communications, particularly when it comes to engaging audiences about climate change. Additional links:Behavioural Insights Team websiteThe Little Book of Green Nudges

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.