Why do Exxon Mobil and Donald Trump get to determine the fate of our children and a livable planet? Both use the language of violence. Both are a huge threat to our future and democracy. Both are connected. Our leaders are calling for us to calm our rhetoric in [...]
"For the first time in its history, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has named the spread of climate misinformation as an obstruction to climate action, particularly in the United States.[i]" The question becomes, how do we deal with this onslaught of misinformation and disinformation? The first step is [...]
I have a confession. I read eclectically, and a portion of what I read is absurd. I am fascinated by Bigfoot, aliens, and Elvis. It’s not that I believe in Bigfoot or aliens, but I am curious this may be a reality for others. I guess it makes me [...]
Choose Your Climate Label Carefully... The new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, has been described in headlines by the Guardian, US Energy News, the Hill, and many other media outlets as a “Climate Skeptic.” Most of the articles identify his connection with the fossil fuel industry, and his 100% rating [...]
According to Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the of the Yale Project of Climate Communication, “We are in a propaganda war with the fossil fuel industry, but we aren’t even on the battlefield.” To which I will add, that we don’t even know we’re in a war, or if we [...]
David Fenton’s new book is a must read for any climate justice activist or climate communications professional under the age of 40. For anyone over that age, it is also a delightfully raucous walk through the history of liberal movements when activism was fun. For all, it illustrates the [...]
The Strategy and Language of the Gas Stove Culture Wars So you want to “ban” gas stoves? A firestorm erupted in January over the pollution of gas stoves. As climate activists, we reacted without a solid strategy and without testing the language we are using. Consequently, we may lose [...]
“We can no longer tolerate Republican’s bankrupt delay on climate.” Do you get an image or feeling on the quality of their delay from this sentence? If we want our ideas to spread, we must use words that create images and feelings and connect them to stories and narratives [...]
Let’s say we wake up and find out that Jackalope are going extinct because they are being eaten by Bigfoot. After all, they are a favorite delicacy of Bigfoot. What do we do? We probably start a Save the Jackalope campaign... of course. We have to make people aware [...]
It’s possible. If your campaign isn’t boring, then don’t read this. But boring can be deadly. We live in an attention-based economy. 1000 messages a day compete for our attention and we respond to buzzes, rings, and the crisis of the minute, to say nothing of commercials of fat [...]
