Recall: “our house is on fire.”
I’m here to tell you it’s still burning.
Consider the underwater cabinet meeting held in the Maldives 14 years ago.
Sea level has risen over 50 mm since then.
Remember when there were 12 years to avoid catastrophic climate change, reduce emissions by 50% and make unprecedented changes in all aspects of society?
We have 7 years now.
The three stories above had great impact during their moment in the headlines. Given the complexity of the climate crisis, there needs to be a balance of shock and awe in order to inspire the change required. Shock is memorable and awe is motivating.
Now fast forward to fall 2022, where Hurricane Ian is capturing global attention. Scientists, Michael Wehner and Kevin Reed embraced a teachable moment when communicating climate change to a mass audience during Hurricane Ian. Using a model the team previously built to study hurricanes, they were able to infer that climate change, which is contributing to warmer ocean temperatures and more moisture in the atmosphere, resulted in 10% more rainfall during this hurricane than anticipated. After a review of about a dozen related news articles, I found one that included a call to action. On September 30, 2022, the BBC reminded readers that Hurricane Ian is a “signal” that we quickly and collectively need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to stronger storms. This linkage is important because people can identify with and understand the issue of climate change, when climate change consequences are real and solutions are communicated (Cross et al., 2015). Some of the news articles planted seeds of doubt by using words such as “instant study” in the headline “or not peer-reviewed” in the first paragraph while later explaining how a peer reviewed model was used for the simulation and often quoting other scientists in agreements. As Howarth et al. noted in their 2020 article about effectively communicating climate science; emphasizing scientific agreement is key, so too is plain language and consideration of the target audience.
Given the need for plain language and helping audiences understand complex issues, when speaking about climate change, using metaphors or analogies can help. Given the ubiquitous nature of cooking rice, the following analogy for example, is a plain way to communicate weather events, as influenced by climate change:
“When cooking rice on the stovetop, the difference between a perfect pot and one that boils over is a small adjustment to the dial, leading to more heat input to the system and potentially quite the mess. This is analogous to weather events, as the energy contained within air increases with temperature, as does the water vapor capacity. The output of that system that we experience is elevated levels of wind and rain.”
B.McIntyre, P.Eng., 2022
Another communication approach that draws on scientific consensus from Canada’s Changing Climate Report states:
“…. the annual highest daily temperature that currently occurs once every 20 years, on average, will become a once in 5-year event by mid-century under a low emission scenario (a four-fold increase in frequency) and a once in 2-year event by mid-century under a high emission scenario (a ten-fold increase in frequency). In the future, higher temperatures will contribute to an increased risk of extreme fire weather across much of Canada.”
Bush et al., 2019
The “so what” in both statements cultivates understanding which is a source of empowerment to take climate action. Bush et al. date links increased temperature to an increased risk of extreme fire and this can be strengthened further by citing local, recent examples of heat domes and corresponding fire events that cost lives and lost infrastructure. Furthermore, it’s estimated that by 2025, a 0.35% increase in Canadian income taxes will be needed to cover government spending on climate related damages (Sawyer, 2017). Climate change communications are most effective when the personal details are known – how these impacts will affect everyday life from our ability to see the horizon to the jingle of change in our pockets.
Let’s now turn our attention from shock to awe. Awe as in awesome people everywhere working hard on climate solutions. In their 2015 paper, News Media and Climate Politics, Cross et al. found that how the news media communicates climate change can make or break civic engagement. Cynicism, in particular, is is toxic to the climate movement and can paralyze those that are concerned or alarmed about climate change but feel powerless to make a difference because all they see in the media are governments failing. Therefore, Cross’s team urges the proliferation of success stories about climate politics, entrepreneurial activism, everyday heroism at the local level and the positive cause and effect of political engagement. Positive framing works. Shifting our focus from the problem to the solution is motivating and will propel us forward (Moser et al., 2017).
It’s important to be aware of the outcome to avoid, but let’s balance this with the vision we do want.
Headline: “MACAL students stack W’s – winning at climate solutions”
References
Bush, E., Gillet, N., Bonsal, B., Cohen, S. Derksen, C., Flato, G., Greenan, B., Shepherd, M., and Zhang, X. (2019). Canada’s Changing Climate Report: Executive Summary. Environment and Climate Change Canada. https://changingclimate.ca/CCCR2019/
BBC News. (October 17, 200). Maldives cabinet makes a splash. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8311838.stm
Cross, K., Gunster, S., Piotrowski, M., & Daub, S. (2015). News media and climate politics: Civic engagement and political efficacy in a climate of reluctant cynicism. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office.
Howarth, C., Parsons, L., & Thew, H. (2020). Effectively Communicating Climate Science Beyond Academia: Harnessing the Heterogeneity of Climate Knowledge. One Earth, 2(4), 320–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.04.001
Iowa State University. (2019) Address at World Economic Forum: Our House Is On Fire – Jan 25, 2019. https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2019/12/02/address-at-davos-our-house-is-on-fire-jan-25-2019/
IPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157940.001.
Lindsey, R. (April 19, 2022). Climate Change: Global Sea Level. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level
McIntyre, B. Personal Communication, October 2, 2022.
Moser, S., Coffee, J., and Sevile A. (2017) Rising to the Challenge, Together: A Review and Critical Assessment of the State of the US Climate Adaptation Field. Kresge Foundation, 106 pp.
Sawyer, D. (2021). Damage Control: Reducing the costs of climate impacts in