Let’s Talk About Climate Change
5 Tips to Communicate About the Climate Crisis
Here’s what we know: it’s hot and it’s only getting hotter.
When you see headlines like, “The Ocean Is On Fire'' it's hard to ignore the fact that climate change is here and it’s already caused immense irreversible damage. 2020 was one of the warmest years on record and we’re still feeling the blazing heat this summer! Hundreds of people died in western Canada as a result of a record heatwave last week, with temperatures so high that sea creatures are literally cooking to death in their shells. Let that sink in.
And let’s start off by being clear on the importance of taking the onus off the individual to solve the climate crisis. This is definitely not the best (or most effective) approach. Capitalism, the rise of globalization, and its resulting greenhouse gas emissions are major contributors to climate change that we need to collectively acknowledge. Climate activists have been saying this for years (see: Naomi Klein). And while radical and urgent action is needed, it’s important to communicate on a straightforward and accessible level so that large segments of the population aren’t left feeling hopeless or alienated from understanding the issue.
This week we’re sharing 5 helpful communications tips for engaging with your audience about climate change. We’ll need large, collective and tangible action to address this increasing issue, but having a connected conversation is a good place to start.
1. Be aware of language barriers
Effective language is essential to any movement, and feminist communications always ensures that the language we are using is inclusive and accessible. Using language that’s easy to understand in order to truly connect with your audience is a necessary step before getting them to act. We’re not all scientists, which is why scientific language can make the issue of climate change sound alien to folks. When talking about climate change, use the approach of translating science to everyday language. Check out this amazing Ted Talk that explains how language plays an important factor in how we understand and interpret the impacts of climate change.
2. Communicate using stories
Telling and sharing stories is how we make sense of the world that we live in. Remember when we watched Ludovico Einaudi play the piano while glaciers in the Arctic melted around him? This is a great example of how storytelling in different formats, music, visual art, and short fiction, can show us that climate change is happening and that we can do something about it.
3. Make the connection
Being able to make the connection between climate change and other issues like capitalism, our economic systems, and the disproportionate impacts on communities of colour, is so essential when communicating about the climate crisis. It shows us that we’re all connected to the effects, but some more than others.
4. Take a collective approach not an individualistic one
The problem of climate change is big. Too big for one person to take on. Systemic issues like climate change will never be effectively solved if we put the onus on the individual. Swapping your plastic straw for a reusable one while big corporations continue to dump waste into the ocean showcases the larger role these organizations must play. Taking a collective approach when communicating about crises as big as this provides a place for folks to know where to start their journey towards radical climate action. I.e. organizing politically to call on our governments to hold corporations accountable.
Indigenous communities’ connection with the environment is spiritual, social, cultural, and economic, which uniquely positions their response to the impacts of climate change. It’s important for us to listen to Indigenous knowledge and community leaders that are at the centre of climate resilience.
5. It’s a conversation, not a conquest
We all have this fantasy that once we openly talk about the harsh impacts of climate change, that we can quickly convert everyone to agree with us. But folks don’t often like to be told that they’re wrong, and when we’re confronted with our own contribution to climate change, we sometimes feel guilty and disengage. Part of building a collective movement is to communicate and engage in tough (but necessary) conversations.
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