Communicating Climate Change
If you want to communicate climate change issues in your community, there are ways to do this. But the overriding message is - keep it simple!
When we think of prime movers in the communication of climate change, probably the first name that comes to mind is former US Vice-President Al Gore. His slideshow-turned-documentaryfeature has been screened in cinemas, schools, village halls and community buildings across the UK, and now he’s a Nobel Peace Prize winner to boot.
However, the reality is that few people have the resources, the time or the stature for this kind of exercise. And so with Al Gore setting the benchmark for climate change communications, should the rest of us bother?
Communicating climate change:
• do stay positive
• do accept that others may have different priorities
• do keep it simple and avoid contradictory or multiple messages
• don’t terrify your audience or bamboozle them with information
• don’t exaggerate
• don’t be angry or critical
Should you wish to delve deeper into the science of communicating climate change, the following may help:
New Rules: New Game (available from www.futerra.co.uk )
