Lesson Twenty-Six: Climate Communications
How the story of climate change has changed
FOREWORD
I’ve always been interested in the power of stories.
There’s a reason we tell children stories. They enable empathy and teach lessons. Stories give meaning and direction to our lives. They are an interchangeable medium that is rooted in shared language and caters to primal human instincts and comfort.
It is my true belief that climate change needs a solid story - one that is pervasive and reflective. However, in order to understand what the story needs, we need to understand where they came from.
THE FIRST STORY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The science of climate change dates back to the 19th century with publications made as early as 1859 where John Tyndall showed that molecules of water vapour, carbon dioxide, and ozone are the best absorbers of heat radiation.
PREVIOUS CLIMATE STORIES
For my Master’s work, I grouped the stories into four categories based on who controlled them:
👩🔬👨🏽🔬 Group One: Scientists
For several decades after 1859, more research came out about the impacts of carbon in our atmosphere as the industrial revolution ramped up.
THE PROBLEM:
The science was too complex for average people to understand.
It was inaccessible to most people and there were large educational barriers.
🕵🏿♀️🕵🏻Group Two: Reporters
In the mid to late 1900s, news outlets started to hear about climate change. But in order to get more readers, they sensationalized it and only shared the extreme cases from studies.
THE PROBLEM:
The extreme cases had low chances of happening. When they didn’t, people stopped “believing” the science.
The news was alarming and people buried their head in the sand.
👩🏼💼👨🏽💼Group Three: Politicians
Politics jumped in the picture during the Bush administration who undermined the public's understanding of “human-caused” climate change.
THE PROBLEM:
Trusting politicians who had allegiances to oil companies led to citizens believing scientists were wrong.
Important climate treaties/protocols weren’t signed by big-player countries.
🙋🏻🙋🏿♂️🙋🏾🙋♂️Group Four: The Masses
Once stories started being shared by people who were directly affected by climate change (usually conveyed in laymen’s terms), the stories became more tangible, empathetic, and actionable.
THE PROBLEM:
Because there are no “owners” of the story, misinformation is a common threat to the action we need.
POWER OF YOUR VOICE
The narrative of climate change is an ever-evolving one and it’s one that we have the power to join and strengthen.
Whether it’s sharing posts on instagram, asking your friends questions, or even talking about what you learned with your dog walker, never underestimate the power of your voice and thoughts!
AKA be a climate care bear.
If you have any thoughts about how much of a rollercoaster the history of climate change communications is, let me know!
