{"id":611,"date":"2021-10-11T12:35:54","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T19:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/?p=611"},"modified":"2021-10-11T12:39:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T19:39:59","slug":"climate-content-analysis-nature-based-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/climate-content-analysis-nature-based-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Content Analysis: Nature Based Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/904\/2021\/10\/NBS-image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-613 lazyload\" width=\"366\" height=\"333\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/904\/2021\/10\/NBS-image.png 1000w, https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/904\/2021\/10\/NBS-image-300x273.png 300w, https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/904\/2021\/10\/NBS-image-768x698.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 366px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 366\/333;\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May 2021, the Nature-based Solutions Initiative (NbSI) released<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4-unUVfAwsQ\"> a video <\/a>titled &#8220;The Future We Can and Must Have&#8221; (Nature-based Solutions Initiative, 2021). This video strives to define the term &#8220;nature-based solutions&#8221; and explain how, if used effectively, can help mitigate and adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and alleviate poverty. The video is freely available on the NbSI website and YouTube. This paper examines the purpose of this video and evaluates it against three criteria to determine if the communications strategy met the goal. Attempts to contact NbSI to understand their approach better were unsuccessful due to time constraints with COP26 on the horizon (N. Seddon, personal communications, October 4, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NbSI is an international organization based at the University of Oxford that works to increase the understanding of nature-based solutions (NbS). NbSI defines Nature-based solutions as &#8220;solutions to societal challenges that involve working with nature&#8221; (Seddon, 2021). Protecting natural features, functions, and landscapes can address climate change, protect biodiversity, and alleviate poverty, amongst other benefits (Nature-based Solutions Initiative, 2021). Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Rehabilitating riparian zones to minimize impacts from floods.<\/li><li>Protecting green space that serves as a carbon sink.<\/li><li>Shifting to small-scale farming to reduce erosion and support local communities.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Institute includes natural and social scientists from Oxford University and other academic institutions and local and international NGOs. They have partnership projects in Bangladesh and Peru (Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Oct 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Purpose and Target Audience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research conducted by NbSI (Seddon, 2021) shows that some industries and policymakers are harming the credibility of NbS by overstating the benefits. This is most apparent when companies claim to be protecting marine and terrestrial ecosystems to &#8220;offset&#8221; their GHG emissions. For example, airports such as Heathrow Airport and oil companies such as Shell make carbon neutrality claims by protecting land without reducing their emissions, an approach that is now widely considered a false solution. (Seddon, 2021). There is also an unbalanced focus on tree planting as a quick and easy way to mitigate emissions. Building a forest that can serve as a carbon sink while preserving ecosystem function and species diversity is far more complicated and requires extensive research and design. It is not a quick fix. And many tree planting initiatives that claim to be NbS are actually for commercial harvest, calling into question motivation and effectiveness. The more industry and policymakers promote NbS as a shortcut to climate mitigation and a way to avoid phasing out fossil fuels, the more polarized the debate becomes, and the many benefits of NbS, including adapting to climate impacts, protecting biodiversity, and alleviating poverty, are lost (Seddon, 2021).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seddon et al. (2021) identified four guiding principles for implementing NbS, which are the main message communicated in the video:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>NbS are not a substitute for the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels;&nbsp;<\/li><li>NbS involve a wide range of ecosystems on land and in the sea, not just forests;<\/li><li>NbS are implemented with the full engagement and consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in a way that respects their cultural and ecological rights;<\/li><li>NbS should be explicitly designed to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity (page 1533).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This video appears to be produced only in English despite NbSI&#8217;s work in Bangladesh and Peru. It requires the viewer to have an understanding of terms such as &#8220;sustainable development,&#8221; &#8220;human well-being,&#8221; &#8220;saltwater intrusion,&#8221; and &#8220;co-produced benefits,&#8221; suggesting a high level of education or training. The video was originally published on the NbSI website, which is designed to reach academics and thought leaders in similar institutions or backgrounds as part of the University of Oxford. Therefore, the target audience of this video appears to be the policymakers, academics, and thought leaders who have a strong understanding of the English language and are participating in efforts to understand, define, and implement NbS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on this analysis, it appears the purpose of this video is to build understanding and agreement of the full range of benefits from NbS amongst English-speaking policymakers, academics, and thought leaders who are involved in the effort to promote and define NbS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Techniques for Evaluating Communications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The video is evaluated using the following criteria to determine the chances of success in convincing the target audience of the need to follow NbSI&#8217;s guiding principles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Trust between the author and the audience <\/em>&#8211; The existence of trust between the messenger and the audience is well documented as a critical tool in successful climate communications. Armstrong et al. (2018) recommendations will be applied against the video to determine if trust exists and helps meet the purpose of this video.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Using the best narrative<\/em> &#8211; Climate communications in general, and videos more specifically, use narratives based on hope or &#8220;doom and gloom.&#8221; This analysis will use the work of Ettinger et al. (2020) and Lewandowsky (2020) to determine if NbSI used the best narrative to deliver its message.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Defusing polarization &#8211; The polarized debate over climate change has occurred to the detriment of real solutions. Using the work of Stephan Lewandowsky (2020), this paper will explore the techniques adopted and determine if they inflame or diffuse polarization.&nbsp;<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Trust between the author and the audience<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Communicating Climate Change: An Educator&#8217;s Guide (Armstrong et al., 2018), the authors explain that &#8220;trust between the educator and the audience plays a key role in audience receptivity to climate change messages&#8221; (pg76). According to researcher Brene Brown, trust is choosing to make yourself vulnerable, and vulnerability is &#8220;uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure&#8221;(Brown, 2018). Students, or people watching the video, must be open to learning or exploring new information, which is an act of vulnerability, and they will only do this with a teacher they trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NbSI successfully builds trust in this video. They are likely considered experts in this field, as indicated by their affiliation with Oxford University and existing relationships with a wide range of natural and social scientists. The target audience is institutions and individuals of similar cultures and education looking for credible information for their work or research. NbSI presents itself as an academically defensible source of information, not a positional advocacy group, making it safer for policymakers and other leaders to trust and therefore reference their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Using the best narrative<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The NbSI video employs, for the most part, a narrative based on hope. The initial 30 seconds of the video outlines the risks in stark terms, citing one million species at risk, the changing climate, extreme weather events, and people suffering. The remaining 3 minutes, however, focus on the opportunity to address these risks by working with communities and Indigenous Peoples to implement NbS. A soft narration, pleasant animation of happy people and growing nature, and a message framed as an opportunity elicit a feeling of hope.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research conducted by Ettinger et al. (2021) assessed viewers&#8217; emotional response to climate videos that use hope or doom and gloom to communicate the message. The research then determined whether changes in emotional response resulted in adjusting the viewers&#8217; behaviour. This research found a more significant change in emotional response to hope videos but that neither hope nor the doom and gloom video resulted in a shift in perception of risk, personal behavior, or engagement in activism (Ettinger et al., 2021). Applying these research findings to the video suggests that NbSI made the correct decision to focus on a message of hope as that results in the most significant emotional change. Ettinger et al. found that emotional change does not always translate into changes in behaviour. However, Lewandowsky (2020) contends that emotions are &#8220;essential components of motivation&#8221; that can be evoked using artistic visuals. It is hard to determine if anyone viewing the NbSI video changed their engagement, but the successful implementation of a message of hope was the correct way to try and evoke change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Defusing Polarization<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As noted earlier, the wide range of benefits from NbS is at risk of being drowned out by a polarized debate of their value in light of industry and policymakers co-opting the concept and trying to sell it as a false solution. While this video is not about proving that climate change is real, Lewandowsky&#8217;s (2020) research on how to combat disinformation in the climate change debate is a helpful reference. His research supports providing factual information and the scientific consensus supporting it to counter disinformation. The NbSI video is full of accurate information about the concept of NbS followed by greater detail on issues such as mitigating climate, protecting communities from extreme weather, improving mental and physical health, and so on. The material is not referenced, nor does it mention scientific consensus, but it could be argued that the messenger, NbSI, is the validator of the information (and hence the need for trust).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lewandowsky contends that inoculating the audience by informing them that they are or will be exposed to industry propaganda while providing an alternative perspective can make them more receptive to information. This is a promising approach to debunking disinformation (Ledwandowsky, 2021). In the video, NbSI failed to mention how NbS is being co-opted and chose instead to promote the benefits and build a deeper understanding of the benefits. This could have been a missed opportunity. If NbSI had allocated a small portion of the video to explain how the NbS are being misused, followed by the case for a broader definition, this could have been a more powerful video. It would have had the potential to innoculate the viewer against industry misinformation and create a robust storyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cesar Perez Herranz says that &#8220;the truth is a story everyone agrees on&#8221; (minute 5:08). NbSI strives to define the truth by building strong agreement that NbS is a way to mitigate and adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and alleviate poverty. They are a trusted messenger for the target audience, and they were correct in choosing a narrative of hope. NbSI used some of the techniques available to counter industries&#8217; misuse of the concept. Still, they could have improved the video by explicitly naming the misinformation and providing a credible alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">References<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Armstrong, A. K., Krasny, M. E., &amp; Schuldt, J. P. (2018). <em>Communicating Climate Change: A&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Guide for Educators (Cornell Series in Environmental Education)<\/em>. Comstock Publishing Associates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bayer, S., &amp; Hettinger, A. (2019). Storytelling: A Natural Tool to Weave the Threads of Science&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and Community Together. <em>The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America<\/em>, <em>100<\/em>(2), e01542. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/bes2.1542<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brown, B. (2018). <em>Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VERMILION.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dupar, M., with McNamara, L. &amp; Pacha, M. (2019). Communicating climate change: A&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">practitioner\u2019s guide. Cape Town: Climate and Development Knowledge Network. <a href=\"https:\/\/unfccc.int\/sites\/default\/files\/resource\/Communicating%20climate%20change_Insights%20from%20CDKNs%20experience.pdf\">https:\/\/unfccc.int\/sites\/default\/files\/resource\/Communicating%20climate%20change_Insights%20from%20CDKNs%20experience.pdf<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ettinger, J., Walton, P., Painter, J., &amp; DiBlasi, T. (2021). Climate of hope or doom and gloom?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Testing the climate change hope vs. fear communications debate through online videos. <em>Climatic Change<\/em>, <em>164<\/em>(1\u20132). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10584-021-02975-8<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lewandowsky, S. (2020). Climate Change, Disinformation, and How to Combat It. <em>SSRN&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Electronic Journal<\/em>. Published. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2139\/ssrn.3693773<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nature-based Solutions Initiative.(2021, May 27). <em>The future we can and must chose:&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>nature-based solutions<\/em> [Video]. YouTube. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4-unUVfAwsQ<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perez Herranz, C. (2014). Why everything is a story. <em>TEDxMadrid<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3InAj96h06k\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3InAj96h06k<\/a>&nbsp; (9:46 min.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seddon, N., Smith, A., Smith, P., Key, I., Chausson, A., Girardin, C., House, J., Srivastava, S., &amp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turner, B. (2021). Getting the message right on nature\u2010based solutions to climate change. <em>Global Change Biology<\/em>, <em>27<\/em>(8), 1518\u20131546. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/gcb.15513<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In May 2021, the Nature-based Solutions Initiative (NbSI) released a video titled &#8220;The Future We Can and Must Have&#8221; (Nature-based Solutions Initiative, 2021). This video strives to define the term &#8220;nature-based solutions&#8221; and explain how, if used effectively, can help mitigate and adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and alleviate poverty. The video is freely [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":952,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cal-502"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/952"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":615,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions\/615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/jlash\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}