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Me, Myself, and I – Choosing Your Subject in Climate Communications

2024-07-01T17:21:29+00:00May 22nd, 2024|Climate Communications, Environmental Messaging, Framing, Language|

We know that the way we use language in the public debate often influences which policies or candidates gets supported. Often, the most effective language activates deep-seated circuits or frames in our brains that are about right and wrong. For example, “My country, love it or leave it.” This [...]

Seven Questions To Ask Our Climate Messages

2023-04-20T22:47:54+00:00April 20th, 2023|Climate Communications, Environmental Messaging, Framing|

If our climate message(s) were succeeding, then why are we still facing a climate crisis future without more action? Why does Exxon Mobile still get to determine the fate of our children? Why is there a backlash against renewables all across our country? Why did Biden just approve the [...]

So You Want To Ban Gas Stoves? Oops.

2023-03-01T17:06:06+00:00February 16th, 2023|Climate Communications, Climate politics, Climate Strategy, Environmental Messaging, Framing, Language|

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 [...]

The One Question Every Climate Activist Needs To Ask…

2023-01-21T16:57:31+00:00August 21st, 2022|Climate Communications, Climate Strategy, Framing|

In the late 1950s, Phillip Morris & Co. hired Leo Burnett Advertising to change the image of their feminine filtered cigarettes to make them more masculine. Filtered cigarettes were a technical ruse. They were supposed to be healthier and were mostly smoked by women. Burnett launched one of history’s [...]

How to Frame the Right’s Bad Climate Ideas and Delay

2022-08-02T15:30:29+00:00July 24th, 2022|Climate Communications, Climate politics, Climate Strategy, Environmental Messaging, Framing, Language|

“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 [...]

Frames and Framing – A Better Way To Think About Climate Messaging

2021-08-10T19:03:56+00:00August 10th, 2021|Climate Communications, Environmental Messaging, Framing|

Part V When I became a climate activist, I believed that there must be some phrase or a set of magic words that would get others to see the climate threat and act. Searching for these words was a fool’s errand. I knew words held power. But I was [...]

Thelma and Louise, Personal Action, and Climate Responsibility

2021-06-23T19:23:21+00:00June 20th, 2021|Actions You Can Take, Climate Change Denial and Misinformation, Framing, Reasons for Acting|

My next personal act of climate responsibility is to limit my driving to no more than 6,000 miles per year. For those without cars this may still seem like a lot. I'd rather not have to use a car. Maybe this will be hard? We’ll see. In December of [...]

Climate Movement and Media Continue To Bolster Fossil Fuel Frames

2021-06-17T15:16:51+00:00June 16th, 2021|Climate Communications, Environmental Messaging, Framing|

I received an email from the New Yorker on a post by Bill McKibben. The subject line was “Big Oil’s Bad Day.” McKibben is the founder of 350.org of which I am an active member. He probably didn’t write the email subject line, but whoever did, fell into a [...]

Is Your Climate Campaign Boring?

2021-05-04T16:12:55+00:00May 3rd, 2021|Climate Communications, Climate politics, Environmental Messaging, Framing|

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 [...]

How We’re Screwing Renewables With Our Response to the Texas Big Freeze Grid Disaster

2021-02-22T17:56:03+00:00February 17th, 2021|Climate Communications, Environmental Messaging, Framing|

Once again, Charlie Brown climate media and communicators are trying to kick Lucy’s proverbial football as she yanks it away. Right wing fossil fuel sponsored Lucy is the Wall Street Journal and Fox News. Their football frame is blaming Texas power outages on frozen wind turbines and renewables. What [...]

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