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Workshop Summary
Climate Change and Health
Communications
WorkshopExecutiveSummary
ClimateChangeandHealthCommunications
October,2015
Oakland,California
Authors:KathyDervinandLindaRudolphwithassistancefromNeilMaizlishand
CatherineHarrison(allwiththeCenterforClimateChangeandHealth)
Acknowledgements:Wethanktheworkshopparticipantsfortheirgenerous
contributionsoftime,expertise,andfrankdiscussion.Specialthankstoallofthosewho
preparedremarks(LarryBye,HunterCutting,LoriDorfman,SusanFrank,EdMaibach,Cara
Pike,ValQuinn,MeighenSpeiser,AnandSubramanian,JulieSweetland,MakaniThemba
andLarryWallack)andprovidedcommentsonanearlierdraft(LarryBye,LoriDorfman,
SusanFrank,EdMaibach,ValQuinn,MeighenSpeiser,JulieSweetland).LoriDorfmanof
theBerkeleyMediaStudiesGroupandCaraPikeofClimateAccessconsultedwithCCCH
staff,draftedextremelyhelpfulbackgroundpapers(AppendixD)andprovidedinputin
planningtheworkshopagenda.
NOTE:Therecommendationspresentedbelowdrawoninformation,ideas,and
recommendationsdiscussedintheworkshop,buttheyhavebeenfurtherdevelopedbythe
CenterforClimateChangeandHealthstaffsubsequenttotheworkshop;theydonot
necessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheworkshopparticipants.
Creditsforcoverphotos:(top)KathyDervin,(bottomleft)350.org/People’sClimateMarchand(bottomright)WHO
website.
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WorkshopExecutiveSummary
ClimateChangeandHealthCommunications
Background
Climatechangerepresentsthegreatesthealththreatofthiscentury.iItiscriticalthatthe
USpublichasanunderstandingofclimatechangeandtheopportunitiesforeffective
responses.iiThepercentageofAmericansvoicingconcernaboutclimatechangeand
supportforclimatesolutionssuchcleanenergyandsustainablecommunitiesisgrowing.
iii,ivButveryfewpeopleareawareoftheimpactsofclimatechangeonhealth,theissue
remainspoliticallypolarized,andgreaterpublicengagementisnecessarytohastenpolicy
action.v
Therehavebeennumerouscallsforgreaterhealthprofessionalengagementontheissueof
climatechange.vi,vii,viii,ixAPresidentialTaskForceofState,LocalandTribalLeadersandthe
U.S.GeneralAccountingOffice(GAO)haveexplicitlyrecommendedanexpansionofhealth
communicationsonclimatechange.x,xi
Effectivehealthcommunicationsisconsideredacorecomponentofthepublichealth
toolbox,andcommunicationsisembeddedintwooftheTenEssentialServicesofPublic
Health.Researchhasshownthathealthprofessionalsaretrustedmessengersandbest
suitedtorelayhealthmessageshealth.xii,xiii,xivSomeresearchsuggeststhatframing
climatechangeasahealthissueengendersamorehopefulresponseandprovides
motivationforaction.xvxviYetfewhealthprofessionalscurrentlyfeelcomfortabletalking
aboutclimatechange.xvii
InApril2015,aClimateandHealthLeadershipSummit-convenedbytheUSClimateand
HealthAlliance,HealthCareWithoutHarm,andecoAmerica-broughttogetherseventy
leadersfrompublichealth,medical,andnursingorganizationstodiscusskeystrategiesand
priorityneedsforincreasingheathsectorinvolvementinclimatechange.xviiiAkey
conclusionwasthatlittleworktodatehasfullyintegratedcorehealthvaluesandlessons
frompriorhealthcommunicationscampaigns.Newanddeeperworkisneededtocreate
anddisseminateeffective,motivatingmessagesaroundclimateandhealthtoencourage,
empowerandequiphealthleaderstospeakoutonthisissueandtoengageothersto
supportorparticipateinsolutions.Participantscalledforacompellingmessageplatform
toreachthepubicandinfluencepolicymakers,includingasimple,clear,strongand
empowering“meta-message”thatcouldhelpmakethestillsmallhealthvoicemore
impactfulandpowerful.
Inanefforttoaddresstheneedforfurtherworkonhealthandclimatecommunications,
theCenterforClimateChangeandHealth(CCCH)heldaworkshoponOctober6,2015,in
Oakland,California.Webroughttogether20leadinghealthandclimatechange
communicationsexpertsforaninitialdialoguethatprovidedinsightintofurthersteps
requiredtodevelophealth-specificcommunicationsstrategyandmessagestomore
effectivelyleveragethehealthvoiceforactiononclimatechange.Inthisreport,we
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summarizeourkeytakeaways,asummaryofworkshoppresentations,anoutlineofkey
discussionthemes,andCCCHrecommendationsforfurtherresearchandactiononclimate
changeandhealthcommunications.TheappendicesincludetheWorkshopAgenda,Listof
Participants,abrieflistingofClimateandHealthCommunicationsReports,andtwo
BackgroundPapers.
iCostelloA,AbbasM,etal.Managingthehealtheffectsofclimatechange:Lancetand
UniversityCollegeLondonInstituteforGlobalHealthCommission.Lancet2009:373:16931733.
iiNationalResearchCouncil,Washington,DC.NationalAcademyPress,ClimateChange
Education:Goals,AudienceandStrategies,Aworkshopsummary,2011.
iiiGallupPoll,http://www.gallup.com/poll/190010/concern-global-warming-eight-yearhigh.aspxMarch,2016.
ivYaleProjectonClimateChangeCommunicationandGeorgeMasonCenterforClimate
ChangeCommunication.ClimateChangeintheAmericanMind,March2015.
vCenterforClimateChangeCommunications,GeorgeMasonUniversity,PublicPerceptions
oftheHealthImpactsofGlobalWarming,Oct,2014.
viAmericanPublicHealthAssociation,Washington,DC.PublicHealthOpportunitiesto
AddresstheHealthEffectsofClimateChange.AssociationPolicy#20157,Nov.2015.
[PolicyStatement].
viiWatts,NAgnolucci,P,Blackstock,J,etal.Healthandclimatechange:policyresponsesto
protectpublichealth.Lancet,SpecialReportonHealthandClimateChange,7-59(2015).
viiiUSGlobalChangeResearchProgram,NationalClimateAssessment,2014.
ixMaibach,E,Kreslake,J,Roser-Renouf,C,etal.DoAmericansunderstandthatglobal
warmingisharmfultohumanhealth?Evidencefromanationalsurvey,AnnalsofGlobal
Hlth,81(3)396-409(2015).
x
WhiteHouseCouncilonEnvironmentalQuality,State,Local,TribalLeadersTaskForceon
ClimatePreparednessandResilience:RecommendationstothePresident,Nov.2014,p.45
xiGeneralAccountingOffice,Washington,DC.ClimateChange:HHSCouldTakeFurther
StepstoEnhanceUnderstandingofPublicHealthRisks,GAO,2015.
xiiCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalPublicHealthPerformance
Standards-TenEssentialPublicHealthServices,2002.
xiiiMaibach,E.,Nisbet,M.,Weathers,M.ConveyingtheHumanImpactsofClimateChange.
CenterforClimateChangeCommunications,GeorgeMasonUniversity,(2010).
xivecoAmerica,Let’sTalkClimate:MessagestoMotivateAmericans.(2016).
xvCenterforResearchonEnvironmentalDecisions/ecoAmerica.ConnectingonClimate:A
GuidetoEffectiveClimateChangeCommunication,2014.
MyersT,Nisbet,M,MaibachE,Leiserowitz,A.Apublichealthframearouseshopeful
emotionsaboutclimatechange.ClimateChange113(3):1105-1112
xviiGould,S.Rudolph.L,ChallengesandOpportunitiesforAdvancingWorkonClimate
ChangeandHealth.Int’lJEnvResPH.12(12)15649-15672(2015).
xviiiNationalLeadershipConveningSummary,USClimateandHealthAlliance,HealthCare
WithoutHarmandecoAmerica,2015http://ecoamerica.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/eA_CFH_Convening_Report_2015.pdf
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KeyWorkshopTakeaways
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HealthisasharedvalueacrossawidespectrumoftheU.S.population.Usingahealth
frametocommunicatetothepublicandpolicymakersaboutclimatechangeisan
emergingandpromisingapproachtobuildinggreatersupportforclimateaction.
ThePublicHealthfieldhasatrackrecordofeffectivecommunicationseffortsgeared
towardpolicyandsystemschange,mostevidentintobaccoprevention,butalsoinauto
safety,drunkdriving,HIV/AIDs,andmorerecentlysugarybeverages.Itisimportantto
drawonlessonslearnedfromthesepriorpublichealtheffortsindevelopingclimate
andhealthcommunications.
Effectivecommunicationsstrategiesarealwaysbasedonacleararticulationofgoals:
whatarethecommunicatorstryingtoachieve?Thoseengagedincommunicatingon
climatechangeandhealthneedtomoreclearlyarticulateasetofclimateandhealth
goals,aroundwhichcommunicationsstrategiesandmessagescanbedeveloped.
Healthprofessionalshavecredibilitywhenimpartinghealthmessagesonclimate
change.Butthereislittleresearchaboutthemosteffectivewaysforthemtotalkabout
healthandclimatechangeacrossarangeofclimateandhealthimpacts.Currently,
advicetohealthprofessionalsincludesbothoverlappingandconflicting
recommendations;furtherresearchmightbeabletoreconciletheconflicts.Forabrief
summaryofsomerecentresearchandrecommendations,seeAppendixC.
Healthprofessionalsseekmoreeducationinordertofeelcompetentspeakingonthis
issue.Someresearchsuggeststhathealthprofessionalsfeelmostcomfortablespeaking
aboutthingsthatrelatetotheirown(oftennarrow)areaofexpertise.
Priorpublichealthcommunicationscampaignsrequiredsubstantialresources,for
researchonframing,messagetesting,training,media,andevaluation.Similarresources
havenotbeenavailabletosupporthealthcommunicationsonclimatechange.
Additionalresourcesandstaffareneededtosupportnewandexpandedclimatechange
andhealthcommunicationseffortsbyhealthprofessionalsandpublichealthagencies.
Aswithanycommunicationsstrategy,itiscriticaltotakeintoaccountthecommunity
context,includinghistoricallyandculturallybasedviewsandvaluesthatimpactbeliefs
ofspecificgroups.ResearchsuggeststhatpeopleofcolorintheU.S.aregenerallymore
concernedaboutclimatechangeandmoresupportiveofgovernmentactiontoaddress
climatechangethanwhites.SomestudiesshowthatAfricanAmericanshavemore
distrustoftheoilindustry.
Theintegrationofequityintohealthcommunicationsonclimatechangeiscritical.
Climatechangedisproportionatelyimpactsthehealthoflowincomecommunitiesand
peopleofcolor,andthosewithpre-existinghealthconditions.Manyofthesame
dynamicsofraceandpowerthatcontributetooverallhealthinequitiesalsocontribute
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tothe“climategap”.Tosimultaneouslyaddressjusticeandclimatechangeasinterrelatedphenomenonwithintegratedsolutionsrequiresauthenticinclusionofthose
mostimpacted.
Climatechangeposessomeparticularlydifficultcommunicationschallenges:
o Salience:Thereisacommonperceptionthatclimatechangeis“nothere,notnow,
notme”-itlackssaliencerelativetomoreimmediatedailyconcerns.
o Urgency:Bythetimetheeffectsofclimatechangearemoreclearlyandbroadly
apparenttothepublic,itwillbetoolatetopreventprofoundclimateimpacts,dueto
thelongpersistenceofgreenhousegasesintheatmosphere,andthedelaysinherent
inbeingableto“see”thechangingclimateregimen.Transformativesystemschange
inourenergy,transportation,building,andagriculturesystemsisrequiredonan
urgenttimeline.Communicatingthaturgencyisamajorchallenge.
o Overwhelming:Themagnitudeoftheproblem(andthechangesrequiredtoaddress
itadequately)canseemoverwhelming,soitischallengingformanytoseehowtheir
ownactionsandengagementactuallydomakeabigdifference.
o Complicityandaversiontochange:WeintheUSandotherdevelopednationsenjoy
manyadvantages(perceivedandreal)thatcurrentlyrelyonabundantenergyfrom
fossilfuels.Manyareconcernedaboutpotentiallossoftheseadvantages.
o Polarization:Deeppoliticalpolarizationonclimatechangeengendersandenforces
fearoftalkingaboutit.Butfailuretonameclimatechangemightmakeitharderto
explaintheverybroadhealthimpactsofclimatechange,ortoexplaintheurgent
needforrobustaction.
Tobaccocommunicationscampaignshighlightedthetobaccoindustry’sdeceptionand
useofmoneyandpowertoperpetuateharmfulpractices,effectivelydrawingon
people’sinnatedislikeoffeelingdeceived.Asimilarstrategycouldbeeffectivein
climateandhealthcommunications,givennewevidencethatthefossilfuelindustryhas
alsousedmoney,influence,anddeceptionfordecadestosowdoubtaboutclimate
scienceandimpedehealthyclimatesolutions.1,2
1http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/science/pressure-on-exxon-over-climatechange-intensifies-with-new-documents.html?_r=0
2http://insideclimatenews.org/content/Exxon-The-Road-Not-Taken
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Recommendations
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Clarifyasetofpolicyandsystemschangegoalsthatlinkclimatechange,health,and
equity.Forexample:
Ourgoalistoprotectthehealthofourfamiliesandcommunities,especiallythose
mostatrisk,fromtheeffectsofclimatechange,throughpoliciesandprogramsthat:
o Reduceclimatepollutionthrough:
§ Reducingrelianceondirtyenergyandarapidshiftingtocleanenergysuchas
windandsolar;
§ Increasingactivetransportation(walking,biking,andpublictransit);
§ Strengtheningsustainablelocalfoodsystems,andreducingmeat
consumptionandfoodwaste;
o Promoteclimateresilienceandpreparednessthrough:
§ Greeningurbanareaswithtrees,parks,andgreeninfrastructure;
§ Buildingthecapacityofhealthsystems,includingmentalhealth,torespondto
thehealthimpactsofclimatechange;
§ Incorporatingclimatechangerisksandresilienceintoexistinghazard
mitigationandpreparednessprograms.
Theseeffortsmustensurethatlow-incomecommunitiesandcommunitiesofcolorhave
accesstopolicies,programsandfundsthatpromoteajusttransitionawayfromfossil
fuelsandsupportcleanenergy,energyefficiencyandsustainabilityandresilienceforall
communities.
• Researchanddevelopspecificcommunicationsstrategiesforthehealthsectorto
useinpromotingthesegoals,including:
o Researchonthemosteffectiveframingofthelinksbetweenclimatechange,
health,andequityandpolicyandsystemschangegoals,fordifferent
audiences;1
o Developmentofa“meta-message”thatprovidesacoherentandconsistent
messageforhealthprofessionalswithdifferentareasoffocusandexpertise
acrossthehealthsector,andthatintegrateskeyhealthvaluessuchasequity
andempowerment
o Developmentoftailoredmessages,language,andmaterialsforhealth
professionalswithdifferentspecialtiesandareasofexpertiseto:
§ developwaystoimpartthatclimatechangeisanurgenthealthand
equityissue,andtoengageboththehealthsectorandthepublicon
climatesolutions
§ appropriatelybalancenegativeandpositivehealthimpactsof
varioussolutions
1Forexample,BerkeleyMediaStudiesGrouphasdevelopedamethodologyfordeep
analysisofhowcommunicationsstrategiescanaddressspecificpolicyandenvironmental
changewww.bmsg.org
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Developmentofspecificmessagesandlanguagetointegrateclimatechange
intoexistinghealthcommunicationsandeducation,whereverappropriate
andfeasible.
Increasecapacitywithinthehealthsectortodeploycommunicationsstrategiesin
communicationwiththepublic,colleagues,andpolicymakersaboutpolicyand
systemschangestoaddressclimatechange,health,andequity.
o Provideeducationalopportunitiesforhealthprofessionalstoincreasetheir
ownlevelofknowledgeaboutimpactsofclimatechangeonhealth.
o Supportinterestedhealthprofessionalstoenabletheirengagementthrough:
§ Communicationstraining(virtualandin-person)
§ Materials(e.g.sampleop-edsandletterstotheeditor)
§ Peer-to-peersupportmechanisms
§ Clearinghouseofemergingclimateandhealthcommunications
materialsandcampaignefforts,andofevaluationsoftheir
effectiveness
o Systematicallyengageandrecruitrespectedhealthleadersandinstitutions
toamplifythehealthandclimatemessage
Developstrategiestoaugmentresourcesformoreexpansiveclimateandhealth
communicationsandmediaadvocacycampaigns.
Makesurethatframingandmessagesforcommunitiesofcolorreflecttheirdifferent
viewsandlivedexperiences.Thiswillrequireacommitmenttoreachouttoand
includelow-incomecommunitiesandcommunitiesofcolorintheseefforts.
Publichealthcommunicationsandclimatecommunicationsexpertsshouldcontinue
tosharelessonslearnedandidentifywaysinwhichclimateandhealth
communicationseffortscanbuildonandbeintegratedintoexistingandnewhealth
educationandcommunicationsefforts.
Thosedevelopingclimateandhealthmessagingshouldgivemoreconsiderationto
addressingthefossilfuelindustries’roleincreatingtheproblemandinblockingor
delayingsolutions.
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Substantialnewresourcesareneededtohelplocalpublichealthdepartmentsaddress
climatechangerisksoverallacrosstheirprogramareas,andspecificresourceswillbe
neededfortheclimateandhealthcommunicationseffortsdiscussedhere.
NOTE:Messagingwillneedtobeupdatedasnewknowledgeisgainedclimateimpacts
occurandeffortsareevaluated.
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NotesandSummary
WorkshoponClimateChangeandHealthCommunication
Introduction
Publichealthhasalonghistoryofusinghealthcommunications,socialmarketing,and
mediaadvocacytoaddressurgenthealthchallengesthroughpromotionofindividual,
policy,systems,andenvironmentalchange.Currentpublichealthcommunicationsexperts
nowdrawonabodyofknowledgedevelopedthroughextensiveanditerativeresearch,
testing,andevaluationofhard-hittingcampaignsonautosafety,tobacco,HIV/AIDs,gun
violence,childabuse,and,morerecently,sugarybeveragesandthesocialdeterminantsof
health.
Climatechangehasnowemergedasthegreatesthealthchallengeofthe21stcentury.It
threatenstosignificantlyexacerbatehealthinequitiesandmanyexistingmajorhealth
problems.Becauseclimatechangethreatensourair,water,food,shelter,andsecurity,it
loomsasanexistentialthreatforfuturegenerations.Yetfewhealthprofessionalshave
engagedsubstantiallyonthisissue,thehealthvoiceandhealthmessageremainunder
utilized,andtherehavebeennomediaadvocacycampaignsaboutclimatechangeand
health.
Healthprofessionalshavereportedmanybarrierstoengagementonclimatechange
including:
• lackofdedicatedstaffandresources
• discomfortintalkingaboutacomplexissuewithoutdeeperunderstandingofthe
issueandhowitrelatestospecificareasofexpertise
• uneaseintalkingaboutclimatechangewhenpatientsandcommunitiesface“more
urgent”problemssuchashungerandgunviolence
• politicizationoftheissue
• fearofoverwhelmingpeoplewith“doomandgloom”
• uncertaintyabouttheroleofhealthprofessionalsonthisissue,includingwhether
healthprofessionalscanofferfeasibleandactionableclimatesolutionsfromwithin
theirareasofexpertiseandcredibility.
Healthprofessionalsalreadyworkingonclimatechangeandhealthhaveidentifiedahigh
priorityneedforeffective,motivatingmessagesaroundclimateandhealthtoencourage,
empowerandequiphealthleaderstospeakoutandengageothersinsupportofclimate
solutions.Theyalsowantacoherent“meta-message”thatcouldbetailoredforthe
particularexpertiseandspecialtyofpractitionerswhoworkondifferenthealthissues.
Thesemessagesshouldflowfromabroaderstrategyforhowcommunicationscanbuild
supportforclimatesolutions.
Researchandexpertiseinclimatechangecommunicationsisdevelopingrapidly,but
researchonpublichealthandmedicalcommunicationsonclimatechangeisstilllimited.
Researchershavefoundthathealthprofessionalsandorganizationsaretrustedsourcesof
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information,especiallyabouthealth,andthatframingclimatechangeasahealthissue
providessalienceandfostersafavorableresponse.Buttodatewelackthedeeper
understandingandexperiencethatinformedpriorhealthadvocacycampaigns,andthere
hasbeenlittleefforttosystematicallybuildonpasthealthcommunicationscampaignsto
informourworkonclimatechangeandhealth
InOctober,2015,theCenterforClimateChangeandHealthbroughttogethertwenty
expertswithsignificantexperienceinhealthcommunicationsandinclimatechange
communications,tobegintohelpusaddresssomeofthefollowingquestions:
• Whatcanwelearnfrompriorpublichealthcommunications/social
marketing/mediaadvocacycampaigns?
• Whatcanwelearnfromclimatechangecommunications?
• Whatcanwelearnfromhealthequitycommunications?
• Canweadaptlessonsfromtheseotherhealthcommunicationseffortstohelpthe
health/publichealthsectordevelopcommunicationsstrategiesthataddress
climatechangeasacriticalhealthissue?Whatwouldbenextstepstodoso?
LessonsfromPublicHealthCommunications(LedbyLoriDorfman)
Publichealthpracticeishistoricallyrootedineffortstoimproveandcreatetheconditions
thatfosterhealth.Asubstantialbodyofresearchsuggeststhatbothhealthbehaviorsand
populationhealthoutcomesaredrivenpredominantlybythesocial,economic,physical,
andservicesenvironmentsinwhichpeoplelive,work,learn,andplay-whatarecommonly
calledthe“socialdeterminantsofhealth.”Whilepublichealthagenciesfocusedforseveral
decadesonindividualbehaviorchange,theyincreasinglynowendeavortoemphasize
strategiesthataddressthesocialdeterminantsofhealththroughpolicy,systems,and
environmentalchange,thekeymechanismstoimprovethehealthofapopulation.
Corevaluesofpublichealthinclude:
• Healthisafundamentalhumanright.
• Publichealthhastheresponsibilitytoimproveandprotectthehealthofall
populations,butespeciallythehealthofthemostvulnerable.
• Healthisacollectiveresponsibility.
IntheU.S.,however,thereisaconstanttensionbetweenruggedindividualism(YOYO-
You’reOnYourOwn)andtheconceptofthepublicgood(WITT-We’reInThisTogether)1.
AnypublichealthcommunicationsstrategymustaddressthisWITT-YOYOtension.
Whatdoesthismeanforconstructingavalues-basedcommunicationsstrategy?Framing
referstohowanideaorissueisdefinedandunderstood,eitherconsciouslyorsubconsciously.InaYOYOframe,individualsarelargelyresponsiblefortheirownhealthand
theirownbehavior.Ifpolicyandsystemschangeisrequiredtoimprovepopulationhealth,
1JaredBernsteincoinedthesetermsinhisbook“AltogetherNow:CommonSensefora
NewEconomy”,2006,Berrett-KoehlerPublishers,SanFrancisco.
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publichealthcommunicationsmustbuildaWITTlandscapetomakevisiblethereasonwhy
thatchangesmakesense.Inotherwords,publichealthcommunicationsstrategystarts
withre-framingtoshiftpublicunderstandingfromaYOYOframethatplacesresponsibility
forhealthorillnessonindividualbehaviortowardaWITTframethatrecognizesaneedfor
policyandsystemschange.
• Publichealth’ssuccessesinreducingsmokingorincreasingseatbeltorcondomuse
areoftenmistakenlyseenassuccessesinindividualbehaviorchange.Butinreality,
eachofthosesuccessesrestedsquarelyonidentifyingtheenvironmentalcontext
thatpromoteddiseaseorinjury,andsystematicallyseekingpolicyandsystems
changestocreatehealthierenvironments.Inthecaseoftobacco,thisinvolved
reducingexposuretocigaretteadvertising,andincreasingbarrierstocigarette
accessandcleanindoorair.Forseatbeltsitincludedmakingseatbeltsuniversalin
newcars,andlegallyrequiringseatbeltuse,whileforHIV/AIDSthefocuswason
increasingaccesstocondoms,bringinggaysandlesbiansoutoftheshadows,and
re-definingHIV/AIDSasahealth,notmorality,issue.
• AWITTperspectiveviewshealthisacollectiveresponsibility,withcollectiveaction
(embodiedinpolicychange)requiredtopromotehealth.Collectiveaction,ofcourse,
requirescivicengagement.So,successfulpublichealthcommunicationseffortsmust
notonlyprovideaWITTframe,butmustalsoencourageandempowerpeopleto
participateassocialactorsindefiningproblemsandcreating,advocatingforand
implementingsolutions.
• Mediaadvocacyhasbeenanespeciallypowerfultoolinsuccessfulpublichealth
campaigns.Itskeyrolehasbeentore-frameissuessothatitiseasierforpeopleto
understandwhyindividualactionisinsufficienttoaddressaproblem,andwhy
policyandsystemschangesarerequired.Effectivemediaadvocacybuildscapacity
forpeopletomakethecaseforspecificpolicyandsystemschanges.
Akeylessonfromsuccessfulpublichealthmediaadvocacycampaignsisthateffective
communicationsstrategyrestsonalargerstrategyforachievingimprovedhealth.Inother
words,agoodmessageandgoodcommunicationsareimportant,butinsufficienttoachieve
changeabsentaclearideaofwhatthechangegoalsare.Strategydictatescommunications.
Strategyrequiresananalysisoftheproblem,howothersseeit,itsrootcauses,andwhat
youarecurrentlytryingtoachievetostartaddressingtherootcauses.Withan
understandingofthelargerstrategy,acommunicationsstrategycanbedevelopedtodraw
thelandscapeconnectingtheproblemandthesolutionsanddetermineyourkey
audience(s).Onlythencanamessagestrategyemerge,includingwhatyousay,towhom
yousayit,andwhosaysit.Theoverallmessageshouldalwaysincludeclearstatementsof
theproblemandthesolution,andwhyitmattersbasedonsharedcorevalues.
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DiscussionbyworkshopparticipantsofLessonsfromPublicHealthCommunications
• Identifyingandarticulatingsharedvaluesisveryimportant,becausevaluesunderlie
variousstrategyandpolicychoices.(e.g.Becausewevalueprotectinghumanhealthwe
musttakeactiontoreducefossilfueluseorreduceeatingmeat)
• Strategyiscritical.Communicationsstrategiesarebasedonacompass;youhaveto
knowwhereyouaretryingtogo.But,therearealsoimportantfeedbackloopsbetween
strategyandcommunications.Particularlyinacampaignsetting,communicationscan
helpinformstrategy.
• Communicationisaboutempowerment,andbuildingpowerforvaluesandideasthat
arelinkedtothechangeweseek.
• Thesettingandcontextarealsoimportant(inadditiontomessage,messenger,and
audience)
KeyLessonsfromCalifornia’sTobaccoControlProgram(LedbyValerieQuinn)
MediaadvocacyandcommunicationscampaignshaveplayedacentralroleinCalifornia’s
TobaccoControlProgram,which,overitsfirstquarterofacentury,preventedamillion
deathsandaverted$134billioninhealthcarecosts.Individualsmokingbehavior-while
clearlyimportant-hasneverbeenthecentralfocusofCalifornia’sTobaccoControl
strategy.Rather,itsobjectiveshavebeento(a)delegitimizethetobaccoindustryand(b)
“denormalize”smokingonasocietallevel.Thesethemesbothemergedfromand
strengthenedcommunity-basedandlocalhealthdepartmenteffortstoreduceexposureto
tobaccoadvertisingandrestrictavailabilityofandaccesstotobaccoproducts.
Strategiestodelegitimizethetobaccoindustryfocusedon(1)exposingtobaccoindustry
manipulationofandlyingaboutscientificevidenceabouttobacco’sharms,and(2)directly
challengingitspromotionofadeadlysubstanceinpursuitofprofits.Emergenceof
evidenceabouttheharmsofsecond-handsmokegreatlystrengthenedeffortstodenormalizesmoking,fosteringviewsthat“it’snotfair/right”toexposenon-smokersto
deadlytobaccosmoke.
AsdemonstratedinseveralclipsfromCalifornia’santi-tobaccotelevisionads,the
communicationscampaignsaregreatlystrengthenedthroughuseofveryemotionally
engagingmessages.Theadshavealwaysbeendevelopedwithspecificaudiencesegments
inmind(e.g.,differentethnicgroups,parents,youngadults).
SeveralkeylessonsemergefromCalifornia’stobaccocampaign:
• Portrayalofthetobaccoindustryasa“vectorofdisease”anda“villain”resonated
stronglyacrossvirtuallyallaudiences,andplayedacriticalroleinbuildingpublic
supportforanti-tobaccopoliciesatalllevels.
• Demonstratingthattobaccouseaffectseveryone-notjustsmokers-wasalsokeyin
changingsocialviewsaboutthenormalcyofsmoking.
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•
Attentiontosubgroupsandinequitiesiscrucial.Thetobaccoindustryhascontinuously
targetedracial/ethnicgroups,andsignificantdisparitiesintobaccouseremaindespite
overallsignificantprogress.
Fundingisimportant.TheCaliforniatobaccomediaadvocacyprogramhashadahighlevel
offunding(millionsofdollarsannually)towhichfewotherpublichealthcampaignscan
aspire.TheCDPH’sTobaccoControlProgramisfundedbyProposition99,otherwise
knownastheTobaccoTaxandHealthProtectionActof1988.Thisvoterapproved
initiativeinstituteda25-centtaxofeachpackoftraditionalcigarettesanddesignated5centsofthatamounttofundactivitiestopreventandreducetobaccouseinCalifornia.
Theseeffortsincludesupportinglocalhealthdepartmentsandcommunityorganizations,
mediacampaignsandevaluationandsurveillance.California’scomprehensiveapproach
haschangedsocialnormsaroundtobacco-useandsecondhandsmoke.Asaresultof
California’sinvestmentinacomprehensiveefforttodissuadetobaccouse,bothadultand
youthsmokingratesdroppedby50percent,morethanonemillionlivesweresavedand
Californiahassaved$134billioninhealthcare.
LessonsfromObesityPrevention(LedbyLarryBye)
Publichealthcommunicationseffortsonobesitypreventionarelessevolvedthanthosein
tobacco,andperhapsmoredifficult.Similaritiesbetweenthetwoinclude:
• theneedforreframingfromanemphasisonindividualchoicetoafocusonfoodand
physicalactivityenvironments;
• resistancefromanextremelypowerfulandwell-fundedfoodandbeverageindustry;
• highvisibilityofaworseningproblemwithimpactsonmanychildrenandfamilies;
• someresourceshaverecentlybecomeavailablethatallowgreatersupportofpolicyand
systemschangeinmediaandmessagingtoaddressobesity.
Therearealsosignificantdifferencesbetweentobaccoandobesity.Allpeoplemusteat.
Andthereisnoeasy“second-handsmoke”analogythatelicitsastrongprotectivedesire.
Manypublichealthgroupsarenowcoalescingaroundastrategytofocusonpoliciesto
addresstheharmsassociatedwithsugarybeverages,highlightingtheimportanceof
startingwithaspecificandmanageablechangeagendathatcancatalyzeon-the-ground
activity.
Theobesityissueunderlinestheimportanceofpayingattentiontoinequities,aslow
incomeandcommunitiesofcolorfacesubstantiallygreaterchallengeswithaccessto
affordablehealthyfoodandtosafeopportunitiesforphysicalactivity.Obesityissimilarto
climatechangeinthatsolutionsinvolvechangesinsystemsandpoliciesasdiverseasland
useandtransportation,agriculture,housingandjobsbalance,andpublicsubsidies(e.g.
corn,fossilfuels).
DiscussionbyworkshopparticipantsofLessonsfromTobaccoandObesity
Communications
13
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Delegitimizingthefossilfuelindustryisanimportantstrategytoreducethepolitical
poweroftheirmoneyandinfluence,whichhasbeenamajorbarriertostrengthening
supportforpoliciestotransitionawayfromtheuseoffossilfuels.Severalissues
complicatethatstrategy.Evenrelativetothetobaccoindustry,thefossilfuelindustry
wieldsenormousanduniquepoliticalandfinancialpower,deploysawidenetworkof
well-funded“community”groupsandcommunicationscampaignsandalegionof
lobbyists,andhasalmostnolimitsonitscampaigncontributions.Therewassome
tensionintheworkshopabouthowmuchtovillainizetheoil/fossilfuelindustry
becausetheirknowledgeofenergysystemsmaybeneededineffortstoscaleupclean
energyproduction.
ThefossilfuelindustryhaslearnedfromBigTobacco’scommunicationsstrategies,
particularlythevalueofsowingdoubtaboutscienceandsettingupstraw-mandebates,
suchascleanenergyversusjobs.Thesemessagesmustbeaddressed,e.g.bypublicizing
oilindustrydeceptionaboutthescienceofclimatechange,orpromotinga“just
transition”forthoseemployedinthefossilfuelindustryandhighlightingjobgrowthin
cleanenergy.
Publicdistrustofoilcompaniesisveryhigh.AfricanAmericansparticularlydistrust
corporations,andanti-industrymessagesmayresonateevenmorestronglyinthat
community.Peoplegenerallyhaveaverynegativereactiontolearningthattheyhave
beenliedto,ormanipulated.Peoplealsoaregenerallyaverseto“breakingtherules”,
andtoimposinginvoluntaryharms(likesecond-handsmoke)onothers.Thefossilfuel
industrycanbeshowntodoboth.
ThetensionbetweenYOYOvsWITTiscritical.Somerefertothisas“marketjustice”
versus“socialjustice”.Becauseclimatechangecanbesaidtobethebiggestmarket
failureofalltime,itmaybepossibletoinfuseWITTvaluesthroughaddressingtheneed
forgovernmentactiononclimatechangetoremedyamarketfailureinordertoprotect
thebasicrightforfuturegenerationstolivesafely.2
Akeyconcernisthatevenrobusttobaccoandobesitycampaignshavenotsuccessfully
eliminatedracial,ethnic,income,andeducationalinequities;theprevalenceofsmoking
andobesityhasbeenreducedmoreinhigherincomegroupsthaninlowerincomeand
severalcommunitiesofcolor.Thishighlightstheneedtointegrateequity
considerationsexplicitlyintothegoalsandimplementationofpolicyandsystems
changestrategies,andtheirrelatedcommunicationsstrategies.
2DanielBeauchamphaswrittenextensivelyonpublichealth,marketjustice,andsocial
justice,outlinedbyBerkeleyMediaStudiesGroupat:
http://www.bmsg.org/resources/publications/more-than-a-message-framing-publichealth-advocacy-to-change-corporate-practices.
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WhilemostAmericansbelievethat“weallhavearighttoacleanenvironment”,they
alsobelievethereisgenerallyatrade-offbetweeneconomicdevelopment(jobs)and
somesortofenvironmentaldamage.
Peoplecurrentlyneedoilandgas,e.g.fortransportation,cooking,heating.Itisnotas
cleartothepublicthatweactuallyhavethetechnologicalcapacitytoimplement
currentlyavailable,feasible,cost-effectivecleanenergyalternatives,andthatthefossil
fuelindustryisimpedingpoliciestosupportmorerapidadoptionanddeploymentof
cleanenergy.
Healtheducationisaroutineactivityacrossawidespectrumofpublichealthandhealth
careprograms.Itisimportanttoconsiderhowandwhereclimatechangecanbe
integratedintothoseexistingeducationandcommunicationeffortsinrelevantways,
andhowrecommendedactionscanmovefromindividualbehaviorstocommunityorientedactivity.
TrendsandLessonsinClimateCommunications(LedbyCaraPike)
Climatechangeposessignificantchallengesforcommunication:
• Itscausesarerootedinmanydifferentsystemsthatarenowprofoundlyconnected
withourmodernwayoflife-e.g.transportation,agriculture,energy.Thesolutionsare
thusmorecomplexthanmanypollutionproblems,requiringfundamentalshiftsinlarge
systemsinwhichweallparticipate,andwhichtomanystillseem“toobigtochange”.
• ItsimpactsareverydiverseandcurrentlylargelyviewedintheU.S.asbeingfaraway
andinthefuture-“nothere,notnow,notme”.
• Becausetheconsequencesaresovast,thereisariskthatgreaterunderstandingofthe
problemmayengenderavoidanceandfatalism.
Climatecommunicationseffortsstartedinearnestintheearly1980s,andweremetquickly
withaconcerted,well-fundedcampaignbythefossilfuelindustrytosowdoubtaboutthe
scienceofclimatechangeanditsrelationshiptofossilfuels.Climatedoubtanddenial
continuetobesuccessfullyusedtopreventordelaypolicyactiontoaddressclimate
change.Avarietyofframeshaveemergedwithinclimatecommunications:
• ScienceFrame:Thescienceframeisrootedinabeliefthataddressingaclimatescience
knowledgedeficitwillleadtoactiononclimatechange.Whilefossilfuelindustry
misinformationhashadasignificantimpact,otherweaknessesinthisapproachinclude
thepoorcommunicationsskillsofmanyclimatescientists,scienceilliteracyinthe
population,andtherealitythatknowledgealonemaynotengagethepublicordrivethe
adoptionofcleanenergysolutions.
• EnvironmentalFrame:Publicizingthedevastatingimpactsonenvironmentsand
wildlife-e.g.theiconicmeltingglaciersandendangeredpolarbears-hasappealedtoa
segmentofthepopulation.Butmostpeoplehaveneverseenapolarbearoraglacier,
andthisframinghasbeeninsufficienttofosteranemotionalconnectionthatcan
15
mobilizepeopletoaction.
• EconomicFrame:Thisframeemphasizestheeconomiccostsofclimatechangeinan
efforttoappealtobusinesses,insurers,financialinstitutions,governments,andothers
withaneconomicorfinancialfocus.Whilekeyreports(e.g.LordSternReport)bolster
thisframe,opponentshavedevelopedacounternarrativeaboutthecostoftaking
action,counteringwiththejobsvs.environmenttheme.
• MoralFrame:PopeFrancis’2015EncyclicalonCareofOurCommonHome(LaudatoSi)
hashadapowerfulimpactaroundtheworldandintheUnitedStates,encouraging
religiousgroupsandpeopleofmanyfaithstoexamineanddiscussthemoraldimensions
ofclimatechange.Alloftheworld’smajorreligionsinsomewayteachthatwehavea
responsibilitytoprotectthepoorandvulnerable,tocareforourchildren,andtocarefor
“God’sCreation”.
• EnvironmentalJusticeandClimateJusticeFrame:Prominentininternationalclimate
changediscussionsandamongenvironmentaljusticeadvocatesintheU.S.,thisframe
highlightsthedisproportionateharmsofclimatechangetothosewhohavebeenleast
responsibleforgreenhousegasemissions(theglobalsouth,andthepoorandleast
powerful),aredisproportionatelyimpactedbyclimatechange,andhavetheleast
capacitytorespondtoit.
• NationalSecurityFrame:Thisemergingframespeakstomilitaryandnationalsecurity
leadersandthoseforwhomnationalsecurityisakeyconcern,highlightingtheclimaterelatedrisksofincreasedinstabilityandconflictoverland,food,andwaterresources,
andrelatedlarge-scalemigrations.
• HealthFrame:Oneofthemorerecenttoemerge,thehealthframelooksatclimate
changeashealthissue,placinghumansatthecenterofclimatechange-“It’saboutus,it
isimpactingusall(especiallyourchildren),hereandnow.”
Eachoftheseframeshasitsprosandcons.Eachmayworkfordifferentaudiences,and
multipleframesmayworkinconcertwithoneanother.Unfortunately,therearestillgaps
inourknowledgeofthebestwaystousethesedifferentframes,when,withwhataudience,
or,moreimportantly,themosteffectivewaystomobilizeactiontosupportclimate
solutions.Acommunicationsstrategyandmessagesthatbuildonahealthframe,
integratinghealthexpertiseandcorepublichealthvalues,willlikelybemostcomfortable
andcredibleforusebyhealthprofessionalsandorganizations.And,asnotedabove,
communicationsstrategymustbebuiltonasetofspecificclimateandhealthgoals.
Itisworthnotingarathercounter-intuitiveviewpointthat,becauseclimatechangehas
becomesopoliticized,itmaybebestnottouseanyoftheseframes,butratherto
communicatethevalueofsolutionsthataddressclimatechangewithoutactually
mentioningclimatechangeitself.Buttherearemultipleargumentsagainstthis
perspective.Itseemsunlikelythatsupportfortherapidsystemstransformationsrequired
toavertcatastrophicclimatechangecanbegeneratedabsentestablishingpublic
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understandingofthemagnitudeoftherisksandthelimitedwindowofopportunityto
addressthem.And,touseahealthanalogy,urgingclimateactionwithoutmentioning
climatechangeseemsakintourgingtreatmentwithouttellingapatientshehasalifethreateningdisease.Moreover,giventhatpollsshowthatmostAmericansareconcerned
aboutclimatechange,failuretotalkaboutitmaycreateasortofcognitivedissonancethat
isconfusinganddisempowering.
DiscussionbyworkshopparticipantsofLessonsfromClimateCommunications
• Publicopinionpollsnowroutinelyshowbetween60-70%oftheU.S.publicbelieves
thatclimatechangeishappening,andiscausedbyhumanactivity.FewerRepublicans
orIndependentsthanDemocratsreportthattheybelievehumanactivityiscausing
climatechange..
• Thekeybarriertoclimateactionisnotadeficitofknowledge;butratheradeficitof
politicalandsocialwill.
• Assciencehasadvance,manyaremorewillingtoconnectextremeweathereventsto
climatechange,evensinceHurricaneKatrinain2005.Atthesametime,political
polarizationonclimatechangehasincreasedsignificantlyoverthepastdecade,now
manifestintheoutrightclimatedenialamongleadersoftheRepublicanParty.
• Whilethehealthframemaymakeclimatechangemorepersonalingeneral,itis
importanttomakethehumanimpactsofclimatechangemoreconcrete.Extreme
weathereventsprovideanopportunitytomakeclimatechangevisibleandincrease
perceptionsthatitishappeninghereandnow.Tellingthestoriesofrealpeoplewho
havebeenaffectedbyextremeweatherevents(orbyhealthproblemsassociatedwith
climatechange)canhelpconnectclimatechangetohumanconcerns.
• Climatechangeisemotionallychallenging,big,scary,andoverwhelming.Itmaybea
normalpsychologicalresponsetoturnaway,especiallyonceonegraspsitsfull
implications.Itisthusveryimportanttoacknowledgethechallenge,andtoprovide
empowermentandhopethroughofferingfeasible,realistic,andmeaningfulsolutions.
UsingaWITTframe-whatwecandotogether-providesacontextforfocusonpolicy
andsystemschangesolutions.
• Anotherchallengeisthatofurgency.Whilethescienceisclearthattransformational
changeisneededveryquickly,thetrappingsofurgencyareentirelymissingfromthe
mainstreampublicdomain.Leadersarenotbehavingdifferently,noraskingthepublic
todoso;climatechangeisonlyoccasionallymentionedinthenewscycle;
demonstrationsinthestreetarefewandfarbetween.Theproblemthusfadesintothe
background,periodicallysurfacingwithanextremeweathereventoramajornew
report.
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Existingsocialnormsplaceahighvalueontherighttocleanair,ortherighttoasmokefreeenvironment.Articulatingtherighttoahealthyclimate-especiallytoaclimatethat
allowsourchildrenandgrandchildrenaccesstothesameopportunitiesprior
generationshad-maybeanentréetodiscussionofintergenerationaljustice.
Nosolutiontoclimatechangecanbebroughttoscalewithoutaroleforgovernment,
butanti-governmentsentimentisnowpervasive-evenamongstsomeprogressive
advocacyorganizations.BuildingtheWITTlandscape-primingtheaudiencetobelieve
thatacollectiveresponsetoclimatechangeisrequired-isacriticalcomponentofan
impactfulcommunicationsstrategytosupportclimatesolutions.
Theremaybeimportantdifferencesbetweeneffectivecommunicationsstrategies
directedtowardclimatemitigationpoliciesandthosefocusedonclimateadaptationor
resilience.Thismaybeanareaforfurtherresearch.
LessonsfromEquityCommunications(LedbyMakaniThemba)
Climatechangeisapowerfulthreattohealthequityandsocialjustice,exacerbating
existinghealthandsocialinequitiesintheU.S.andglobally.Anethicalresponsetoclimate
changemustincludestrategiestoachieveamorejustsociety-athomeandglobally.We
thuscannotignoreequityinanydiscussionaboutclimatechangeimpactsorclimate
solutions.
Whatpeoplealreadythinkandbelieveformsthecontextforanycommunicationsstrategy.
Deeplyheldculturalandreligiousbeliefs,livingconditions,sharedandlivedhistory,and
powerrelationsareallpowerfulcontributorstoshapingthatcontext.Peopleofcolorand
thosewholiveindisadvantagedcommunities,onsmallislandnations,orintheglobal
southunderstandthattoachievethesystemstransformationsrequiredtoaddressclimate
change,wemustchallengeandchangeexistingpowerdynamicsthathavefosteredand
perpetuatedthedominanceofsystemscontributingtodangerousclimatechange(and
nationalandglobalinequities).
SomeaspectsofclimatechangevulnerabilityinAfrican-Americancommunitiesaredeeply
rootedinahistoryofslaveryandoppression.HurricaneKatrinaandSuperStormSandy
hadprofoundlydifferentimpactsonblackcommunities,largelyduetohistoricaland
racially-drivenpolicies.Theresponsetobothstormsalsodemonstratedpersistentand
pervasiveracism,withlowincomecommunitiesofcolorandimmigrantsleftlargelytofend
forthemselvesandassistancelesslikelytoreachthosewiththeleastresourcesandvoice.
Itisimportanttotalkaboutclimatevulnerabilityinwaysthatbothacknowledgethat
historyandpaintapictureofhowwecanlivetogetherinadifferent,just,andsustainable
way.Buttalkingaboutraceandracismisstilluncomfortableformanyinthe
environmentalandclimatechangemovements,becauseitisperceivedasdivisiveand
requiressolutionsthatarethreateningtothestatusquo.
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Yetifweignorethedynamicsofraceandpower,weareunlikelytodeviseclimatesolutions
thatbenefitthosewhoaremostimpactedorensuresolutionsaccessibletoall.Andifwedo
nothear,engage,andauthenticallyincludethosemostimpacted,wewillnotbenefitfrom
theknowledgeandingenuityrequiredtobuildclimateresilienceandmovetowardajust
transition.Technicalsolutionsalonewillnotachieveasocietythatissustainable,equitable,
andmoreharmoniouswithnature.Thatwillrequirerealdemocracy,fullinclusion,anda
socialmovementthataddressesjusticeandclimatechangetogether.
Equityisthejustandfairinclusionofeveryonesoallcanparticipateandprosper.Equityis
amoral,ethical,politicalandeconomicimperative.Itrequiresauthenticengagementand
participationofcommunitiesofcolorindefiningproblemsandsolutions,afocuson
shiftingpower,andtruediversityinleadership.Climateactionandcommunications
strategiesmustbuildinanequityandempowermentlensatthefrontend.
DiscussionbyworkshopparticipantsofLessonsfromHealthEquityCommunications
• Manyinthepublichealthcommunityarecurrentlydeeplyengagedinconversations
aboutequity,thesocialdeterminantsofhealth,andrelatedissuessuchasstructural
racism.They-andtheenvironmental/climatejusticecommunities-believethatclimate
changeandequityaresodeeplyintertwinedthatitiscrucialtointegrateequityinto
climateandhealthcommunications.However,theselinkagesarerarein“mainstream”
climatechangediscussions.
• Theconcernsthatclimatesolutionstrategiesmightincreaseinequitieswithoutexplicit
attentiontoequityareveryreal.Forexample,marketmechanismsusedtoreduceGHG
emissions,suchascapandtrade,potentiallyallowrefineriesandpowerplantsto
continuecarbon-dioxide(CO2)emissionswithsignificantharmfulco-pollutants.While
theEnvironmentalJusticecommunityhasbeenverysuccessfulinwinninglegislationto
ensurerevenuedistributiontomostimpactedcommunitiesinsomestateslike
California,theunderlyingairpollutionissuesremains.Similarly,“smartgrowth”
strategiesintendedtoreduceemissionsmayleadtogentrificationanddisplacementof
low-incomeresidentsunlessstronganti-displacementandaffordablehousingmeasures
areincorporated.
• Thereareconcernsthatroutineandexplicitlinkageofequityandclimatechangemay
(a)makeaddressingclimatechangeseemevenmorecomplex;(b)furtherpoliticizean
alreadypoliticizedissue;and(c)alienatesomewhomightotherwisesupportclimate
solutions.However,thereasonstoincorporateanequitylensaresufficientlyimportant
thattheseconcernsshouldbetakenintoaccountbutnotserveasanexcusetoignore
thecriticalclimate-equitylinks.
• Whileitisimportanttoidentifyandprioritizevulnerableanddisadvantaged
communities,itisalsoimportanttorecognizethemanyassetsandstrengthsinthese
communities,andtoempowerthemtobuildresilienceandpower.
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Thetensionbetweentransactional/technicalandtransformativeapproachestoclimate
changesolutionsinformsverydifferentcommunicationsstrategies.Whilebothmay
havearole,itisunlikelythattechnicalsolutionsalonewilladdressfundamentalequity
issues.
Theunequalcontributionstoandimpactsofclimatechangeintheglobalnorthand
globalsouthisyetonemoreissuethatposesasignificantcommunicationschallenge.
Local,global,andintergenerationalequityareallcriticalissues,andeachiscomplex
andrequiresarealignmentofpower.
Furthercomplicatingmatters,thefossilfuelindustryhasendeavoredtouseglobaland
localinequitiesasasmokescreenforthecontinueduseoffossilfuels,forexample
positingthattheonlywaytoprovidebasicamenitiestothebillionswithoutelectricity
inthedevelopingworldisthoughfossilfuel-basedenergydevelopment,orpitting
jobs/gaspricesagainstclimatechangeregulation.Theauthenticandindependentvoice
ofindigenouspeoplesandenvironmentaljusticeorganizationsrepresentinglowincomecommunitiesandpeopleofcoloriscriticalincounteringthisnarrative.
WhatdoWeKnowAboutPublicOpiniononClimateChange?(LedbyEdMaibach,
JulieSweetlandandMeighenSpeiser)
GeorgeMasonUniversity’sCenteronClimateChangeCommunication,(4C),in
collaborationwiththeYaleProgramonClimateChangeCommunication,hasconducteda
seriesofsurveystoassesspublicopiniononclimatechange.Theyhaveidentified“Six
Americas”representingaspectrumofopiniononclimatechange(Alarmed-ConcernedCautious-Disengaged-DoubtfulandDismissive),andhavetestedresponsetoframesand
languageamongthesegroups.
Healthisastrongandwidelysharedvalue.Ahealthframecanbringclimatechangecloser
tohome,toaddressperceptionsthatitisnothere-notnow-notme.Alargemajorityof
Americansbelievethatclimatechangeishappening,supporthealthierair,valuehuman
life,andsupportarapidtransitiontocleanenergy.Butinasurveyconductedin2014,most
peoplecouldnotnameasinglewayclimatechangeharmshumanhealth,oridentifythose
mostatrisk(vulnerablepopulations).
Basedonresearchfindingssuggestingthatframingclimatechangeasahumanhealthissue
engendersmorehopefulemotionsabouttakingactiononclimatechange,4Cdeveloped
recommendationsforhealthprofessionals,whoarebestpositionedtoincorporatethe
valueofhealthintoclimatecommunications.Thesearebasedonthekeyprinciplesof(a)
embeddingsharedandwidelyheldvalues,ofwhichhealthisone;(b)makingtheissue
simpletounderstand,localandsolvable;impartingimportanceandurgency;(c)imparting
asenseof“agency”,orabilitytomakechoicesandhaveanimpacteveninthefaceofsucha
complexandhugeproblem;and(d)highlightingthehealthco-benefitstoshowthatclimate
solutionsareoftentherightthingtodo(forourhealth)eveniftherewerenoclimate
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change.
Thecorecomponentsoftherecommended4Cclimateandhealthmessageare:
• Humancausedclimatechangeishappening:Morethan97%climatescientistsare
convinced;
• Climatechangeandburningfossilfuelsisharmingourhealth.Botharealreadyharming
ourhealthbadly,anditwillgetworseifwedon’ttakeactiontoprotectourselves;
• Anyoneandeveryone’shealthcanbeharmed,butthosebeingharmedthemostareour
children,theelderly,thesickanddisadvantaged;
• Wecandosomethingaboutit:EveryAmericancantakestepstoprotectourhealthand
ourclimate.Wehavesolutions,forexamplebyusingenergyefficiencyoverenergy
wasteandbybuyingorsupportingpublicinvestmentincleanandrenewableenergy;
• What’sgoodforourclimateisalsogoodforourhealth.
Whilethe4Cresearchprovidessomeevidencethatahealthframemayengendergreater
supportforclimatesolutions,specifichealthcommunicationsstrategiesrequirefurther
research,development,use,andevaluation.
The FrameWorks Institute, an independent nonprofit think tank, investigates public
thinking and develops and tests framing strategies that move the public to support
evidence-basedpolicies.FrameWorkshasfoundthatAmericanslackunderstandingofthe
mostfundamentalmechanismsofclimatechange,areunabletoexplainitsrelationshipto
greenhouse gas emissions, and assume that the impacts of climate change affect “nature”
butnothumans.Withoutstrongmodelsofthecausesandconsequencesofclimatechange,
they fill these “cognitive holes” with other associations - equating climate change with
political infighting, collapsing it with the more general problem of environmental
degradation,orconfusingitwithotherwell-publicizedenvironmentalproblems,especially
theholeintheozonelayer.
FrameWorks observed that the lack of causal understanding also influences people’s
reasoningaboutsolutions.Becausetheyfailtounderstandwhygreenhousegasemissions
may be different from other pollutants, people reason that the solutions are simple and
straightforward: “just clean it up.” It is also easy for the public to become fatalistic,
asserting that nothing can be done about climate change. The public finds it easy to
concludethattheproblemistoobigtosolve,andalsoreasonsthattheresponsibleparties
aren’t up to the job, asserting that businesses are greedy and the government is inept.
Thesebeliefscanleadtoa“cocooning”response,withafocuson“whatcanIdoinmyown
household”ratherthanoncollective,societalaction.
FrameWorksstudiesalsoreinforcesotherresearchthatnotesthepersistenceofadefault
assumption of Health Individualism (YOYO). Without careful framing to prime systems
thinking,Americansreasonabouthealthusingmodelsthatlocatecausesandsolutionsin
personal choices, and position consequences as private, not public, concerns. In general,
their research cautions communicators against any language that reinforces the public’s
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limiting tendency to think of health in personal, rather than collective, terms. In a study
comparing messages that appealed to health as a value (“why this matters”) to messages
thatilluminatedthecausalpathwaysaffectinghumanhealth(“howtheissueworks”).
They found that leading with health was less effective in moving the public’s policy
preferences than a narrative structure that explained and gave examples of how climate
change is threatening people’s health and wellbeing. This leads to their recommendation
thatclimateandhealthcommunicatorsleadwithvalueofProtection–ourshareddutyto
ensure people’s safety - and then introduce the topic of health after this collective
orientation has been established, using health impacts as somewhat of a case in point.
Notably,thisProtection+HealthExplanationframewashighlyeffectiveinadvancingpublic
supportforhealthpreparednessandformotivatingabroadswathoftheAmericanpublic
tosupportpoliciesforCO2reduction.
NOTE:ForfurtherdetailonFrameWorksInstituteresearchseetheirwebsite,especially
Volmert(2013),Bales(2014)andSimon(2014)http://www.frameworksinstitute.org
ecoAmericaconductsmarketandpsychographicresearchandmessagetestingonclimate
change.Thisresearchidentifieswhotoengageonclimate,how,andthecommunication
frameworksandmessagestouseforgreatestefficacy.
ecoAmerica’sAmericanClimateValuesSurvey2014identifiedseveralimportantvaluesfor
useinclimatechangecommunication,including:
• CanDo:
§ Wecanalltakesmallstepstomaketheworldbetter
§ Humansmaynotbethesolecauseofmanyproblems,buttheycanbethesolution
§ Ifweputourmindstoit,Americacansolveanything.
• Compassion:(forsuffering)isthemostimportantvirtue
• Personalrights:thereissaliencyinframingsolutionsandpersonalrightsforall
Americans,suchasaccesstocleanair,cleandrinkingwater,toxic-freeneighborhoods
• Responsibility:Weallhavearesponsibility(todosomethingaboutclimatepollution)
• Benefitsofaction:“Doingsomethingnowonclimatechangecouldimprovethequality
oftheairwebreatheandcleantheskies.”
OtherfindingsfromecoAmerica’spollingandresearchinclude:
• Thelinksbetweenclimatechangeandhealtharenotwidelyunderstoodandmostdo
notunderstandthehealthbenefitsofclimatesolutions;
• African-Americanshadthestrongestsenseofbeingaffectedbyclimatechangenow,are
mostconcernedabouttheimpactsofclimatechange,werehighlymotivatedon
personalhealth,andwantedactionbylocalgovernment.
• Hispanic/Latinosareveryconcernedaboutfuturegenerationsandinfavoroflimiting
pollutionthatcausesclimatechange(outofhealthconcerns)3.AsianAmericanshada
3Thereareanumberofothersurveysandfocusgroupsthatprovideinsightsintoethnicgroup
differencesinpublicopiniononclimatechange,includingseveralthathavefoundLatinostobethe
groupmostconcernedaboutclimatechange:
• PublicPolicyInstituteofCalifornia,CaliforniansandtheEnvironment,2015.
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•
broadarrayofsolutions-focusedclimatevalues,andwerehighlymotivatedby
protectionofpersonalandfamilialhealth.
Theconceptofpreparedness,particularlycommunityhealthpreparedness,evokesa
senseofpersonalandcivicresponsibilitywithoutbeingpoliticallycharged.Thisisa
promisinganduntappedcategoryofengagementandcommunications.
Astrongmajoritybelievesthatoilcompanieshavetoomuchpowerandreceiveunfair
taxbreaks.
Peopletendtotrustleadersandotherswithintheirown“tribe”(sub-groupwithshared
culturalandpoliticalidentities).
Intheir2015Let’sTalkClimateresearch,healthmessagestestedthemostfavorably,across
alldemographicgroups.Inadditiontomotivatingwords,phrases,andmessages,the
researchsuggestedthatwaystoincreasemessageefficacyinclude:
• Putpeoplefirstandconveyclimatechangeasamoralresponsibilitytoprotect
families’health.
• Citeatrustedhealthmessengerwithonepowerfulfact.
• Addressclimate-relatedhealthimpacts,butmovequicklytosolutionstoavoid
negativeemotionsordisengagement.
• Presentsolutionsthatareaccessible,hereandnow,andpartofaplanforthe
presentandthefuture.
• Emphasizethehealthbenefitsofsolutions,toenhancepersonalsalience.
• Usevisuallanguagesotheaudiencecanseethemselvesinthesolutions.
Viewsfromthefrontlinesofclimateadvocacycampaigns(LedbyHunterCuttingand
SusanFrank)
Advocacyandpoliticalcampaignsonclimatechangepolicygenerallyfocusonaspecific
action,suchasavoteonaballotinitiative,anactiontoadvanceaparticularpolicy,orto
moveanagendaforclimateactionforward.
ClimateNexusworkstosupportawidevarietyoforganizationsintheireffortstoshift
publicopiniontowardstakingactiononclimatechangeatthelocal,nationaland
internationallevel.Lessonslearnedinclude:
• Mappingpublicopinionisdifferentthanusingpollingasaroadmaptoshapepublic
opinionandtobuildsupportforaparticularaction.
• Policychangeoccursatalllevelsofgovernment,andthefossilfuelsindustryis
engagingatalllevels.Communicationsthusmustalsospanacrosslocaltostateto
federaltointernationalopinionandaction.
• Bepreparedtouseteachablemoments(e.g.extremeweatherevents);weknowthere
willbeforestfiresandheatwaveseverysummer.
•
•
•
EarthJustice/GreenLatinos,EnvironmentalAttitudesSurvey,2015.
NaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil/LatinoDecisions,PublicOpinionPoll,2014.
NationalCouncilofLaRaza/SierraClub,NationalLatinosandtheEnvironmentSurvey,2012.
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AusefulmessageframethathasemergedfromClimateNexus’nationalandinternational
climateactionandclimatecommunicationsworkis“WeMust-WeCan-WeWill”:
• Wemust:Weoweittoourkidstoprotectthemandtoaddressclimatedisruption
beforeitbecomesirreversible;
• Wecan:NeverdoubtAmerica’singenuity-thosewhosaywecan’tdoanythingabout
climatechangeforgetwhoweareandwhatwecando;
• Wewill:It’stimetobreakthebigoilstrangleholdonWashingtonsothatwecanbuilda
secureaffordableenergyfutureandaddressclimatedisruption.Wewilldothisifwe
putpeople-notfossilfuelcompanies-backinchargeofourdemocracy.
TheBetterWorldGrouphasbeenactiveinpromotinganddefendingCalifornia’sbroad
andambitiousclimateactionpolicyagainstattacksfromtheoilindustryandallied
businessinterests.Healthhasbeenakeymessagetosupportclimateaction,andtodefend
currentclimatepolicies.Theoilindustryisindeedusingmanyofthesametacticsnowthat
havebeenusedbythetobaccoindustrytoblockhealthypolicies.Buttheoilindustryhas
evengreaterresourcestopromoteitsviews,andspentover$22millionin2015toweaken
cleanairstandards,includingworkingtoaprovisiontoreducepetroleumuseinCalifornia
by50%by2030.
Theoilindustryhascreatedfrontgroupsandtargetedpeopleofcolorandlowincome
communitieswithdishonestmessagesabouttheeconomicimpactsofCalifornia’sclimate
policies.Weshouldnothesitatetolearnfromthesuccessofanti-tobaccocampaignsand
villainizetheoilindustryanditsallies,especiallygivenitsdeceptivepracticesinthwarting
policesthatarecriticallyneededtoreducetheriskofcatastrophicclimatechangeand
promotecleanrenewableenergyalternatives.
Discussionbyworkshopparticipantsonpublicopinionresearchand
communicationscampaignpresentations
• Whilemuchofthisdiscussionfocusedonmessages,it’sveryimportanttoremember
thatthemessageitselfisjustonecomponentofanycommunicationsstrategy,andthat
communicationsstrategymustrestonbroadergoals.
• Muchoftheresearchaddressesverybroadthemesorvaluesthatmayormaynotrelate
directlytohealth.Thereisnotrealevidenceastowhichmessagesarelikelytobemost
effectiveashealthsectormessages.Mappingouttheoverlapinmoredetailwouldbe
valuable,toidentifythe“sweetspot”forcommunicationsthatintegrateclimatechange,
health,andequity.
• Aclimateandhealthcommunicationsstrategy(andmessages)shouldbebasedon
healthandhealthequitygoals,usingahealthframe.Otherframesmaybeusedto
reinforceorelevatethehealthframe.Itmaybeimportanttoconnecthealth
communicationstootherframesandfigureouthowhealthmessagescanbuildoffof
othermessagestructures,e.g.“WeMust,WeCan,WeWill”.
24
•
Agood,overarchinghealth“meta-message”wouldbeextremelyuseful,butisnot
sufficient.
• Thehealthsectorisnotmonolithic.
• Healthprofessionalsliketospeakfromtheirareaofexpertiseandcredibility.Public
healthandmedicalprofessionals,andhealthcarebusinessesmayhavedifferent
climate-relatedgoalsanddifferentaudiences.
• Moreresearch,implementationandevaluationisneededonspecificmessagesfor
healthmessengerswithdifferentareasofpracticeandexpertiseanddifferentgoals.
However,anoverarchinghealth“meta-message”couldinfuseeachofthesedifferent
messagesandprovideaunifyinghealththemerelatedtotheoverarchinggoalof
reducingthehealthharmsofclimatechangethroughavarietyofclimateactionsthat
promotehealthandequity.
• Weneedtokeepinmindtheimportanceandprimacyofpolicyandsystemschange
goals–anddesigncommunicationsstrategieswiththesebroadergoalsinmind.
SummaryCommentsontheWorkshop
Thisworkshopwasthefirsttime,toourknowledge,thatexpertsinhealthcommunications
andclimatecommunicationshadhadtheopportunitytomeetinformallyandtalktoone
anotheraboutconnectionsintheirrespectiveareasofwork.Thediscussantswereallvery
engagedandmotivatedtohelpaddressthemanyquestionsandchallengesthatwere
raised.Thoseworkinginpublichealthcommunicationswereveryinterestedin
understandinghowtheirhealthcommunicationseffortsmighthelpaddresspolicychanges
neededonclimatechange.Theyalsoofferedsuggestionsbasedonthelessonslearnedfrom
theirworkthatcouldhelpinformclimateandhealthactionstrategiesandcommunications
efforts.
TheCenterforClimateChangeandHealthwantstothankallthosewhoparticipatedinthis
workshop.Theurgentchallengesposedbyclimatechangetohumanhealthandwellbeing
demandthatwehelphealthprofessionalsfindthebestwaystoinformpolicymakers,civic
leadersandthepublictotakeeffectiveaction.
25
AppendixA
WorkshopAgenda
26
27
AppendixB
ListofWorkshopParticipants
EricAntebi*
SeniorVicePresident
FentonCommunications
LarryBye
SeniorFellow
NORC/UniversityofChicago
HunterCutting
DirectorofStrategicCommunications
ClimateNexus
LoriDorfman
ExecutiveDirector
BerkeleyMediaStudiesGroup
SusanFrank
PresidentandChiefOperatingOfficer
TheBetterWorldGroup
EricJaffe
ManagingProgramDirector
ResourceMedia
JulieLautsch
MediaConsultant,CaliforniaTobaccoControlProgram,MediaUnit
CaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth
SusanneMoser
Director,SusanneMoserResearchandConsulting
StanfordUniversity,WoodsInstitutefortheEnvironment
MelanieNutter
SustainabilityExecutiveandConsultant
NutterConsulting
ValerieQuinn
Manager,CaliforniaTobaccoControlProgram,MediaUnit
CaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth
CaraPike
ExecutiveDirector
ClimateAccess
BrookeSommerfeldt
OfficeofHealthEquity,ClimateandHealthTeam
CaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth
28
MeighenSpeiser
ChiefEngagementOfficer
ecoAmerica
AnandSubramanian
SeniorCommunicationsAssociate
PolicyLink
JulieSweetland
DirectorofLearning
FrameWorksInstitute
MakaniThemba*
ExecutiveDirector
ThePraxisProject
DianaVanVleet*
Manager,PolicyCommunications
ClimateNexus
HannahVogel*
CommunicationsAssociate
ClimateNexus
LarryWallack
ProfessorofPublicHealth
PortlandStateUniversity
AnnWhidden
DirectorofCommunications
PublicHealthInstitute
CenterforClimateChangeandHealthatthePublicHealthInstitute
CatherineHarrison
NeilMaizlish
KathyDervin
LindaRudolph
Note:*indicatesparticipantswhohavechangedtheiraffiliationssincetheWorkshop
29
AppendixC
ListofKeyResourcesReferredtointheWorkshop
ecoAmericaLet’sTalkClimate(2016)
www.ecoamerica.org
Basedonsurveysandmessagetestingdonein2015
Thisreportreviewsthemessagestheytestedonhealthacross3respondentgroups(base,
persuasionandopposition)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ourfamilies’healthmatters.
WhentheAmericanLungAssociationtellsusthattoxicpollutionintheairwebreatheisaffectingthe
healthofnearlyhalfofallAmericans,weneednewsolutions.
Kidsnowcarryinhalersasoftenaslunchboxes
Seniorsarestuckinsidewhenweathershiftsdramaticallytoextremeheatorfreezingcold.
Thankfully,wehaveaplanforahealthierfuture.Wecanmoveawayfromthedirtyfuelsthatmake
ussickandshifttowardsafe,cleanenergy,likewindandsolar.
Eachbreathwetakeshouldbeahealthyone.
Let’saddressthisproblemnow,becausecaringforourselvesmeanscaringforourclimate.
ecoAmericaAmericanClimateValues(2015)
HealthandClimateHighlights(basedonsurveysdonein2014)
Thissurveyaskedsamplerespondentsabout:
• Whatknewaboutconnectionsbetweenclimateandhealth
• Whatrolepolitics,educationandincomeplayinshapingsamplerespondentsunderstandingof
climateandhealth
• Whattheythoughtabout:
o thetrustworthinessofmedicalprofessionalsonclimatechangesolutions
o howenvironmentalpollutionaffectstheirfamilies’health
o theimpactonclimatechangeonallergiesandasthma
o theneedofhealthcarefacilitiespreparingforextremeweather
o theconnectionbetweenfood,risingcostoffoodandclimatechange
• Whatrespondentssaidaboutclimatechangeandhealthbasedontheirethnicity(Asian-Americans,
African-Americans,Whites,Latinos)
ecoAmericaConnectingonClimate:AGuidetoEffectiveClimateChange
Communicationw/ColumbiaUniversityCenterforResearchonEnvironmental
Decisions,(2012)
KeyFindingsonhowtoframemessagesthatreachedand/ormotivatedrespondents:
Putpeoplefirst
Knowyouraudience
Choosetherightmessengerforyouraudience
Understandandconnectwithmoralfoundations
1) )CraftMessagethat:
• Emphasizesolutionsandbenefits
• Highlightthebenefitsoftakingaction(startwithLOCALimpactsandLOCALsolutionsfirst)
bringimpactsclosertohome
• Alignsolutionswithyouraudience’svalues
• Makeclimatechangeconcretethroughsomeexperience(realorvirtual)
Connectclimatechangetoissuesthatmattertoyouraudience
• Makecleanenergyattractiveacrosspoliticallines
• Useimagesandstoriestomakeclimatechangereal
UseaPublicHealthframetotalkaboutclimatechange
30
• Userealstoriesofpeoplesufferingfromasthmaorheatillness
• AmericanLungAssociationishighlycredible
• Connectotherframes(likecleanenergy,economicsolutions)withhealth
• Recommendusing“airpollution”insteadofclimatechangewithconservativeaudiences
Emphasizethehealthbenefitsofsomestepstoprepareforandpreventclimatechange.Theylist
walk/bikefriendlycommunities,healthyfood,reducedmotorvehicleaccidents,cleanerairand
water,increasedphysicalactivity,lessobesity,lessdepression,moresocialcapital.
FrameWorksInstitute(mainlyfromHowtoTalkaboutClimateChangeandOceans,
2015)
www.frameworksinstitute.org
Overallpoints:TheydidmessagetestingandrecommendbasingmessaginginVALUES,using
METAPHORS,andidentifyingSPECIFICACTIONSandSOLUTIONS(don’tsaygreenorsustainable
whichlargelyleadspeopletoleantowardsRECYCLING).Needtouseacausalframeworkbecause
peoplejustdonotunderstandwhatcarbondioxide(CO2)isandhowitcausesglobalwarming.
Theyrecommendopeningdiscussionsaboutclimatechangearoundtwovalues:
• ResponsibleManagement:
It’simportantthatwetakeresponsiblestepstomanagetheissuesfacingourenvironment.ismeansthinking
carefullyaboutproblemsandfocusingonthebestwaystodealwiththeproblemsweface.Wealsoneedtokeep
futuregenerationsinmindwhilewelookforthebestsolutions.Open-mindednessandlong-termplanningare
thehallmarksofresponsiblemanagement.Simplyput,weshouldtakeapractical,step-by-stepapproachthat
reliesoncommonsenseandusesalltheevidencewehavetotakecareofoursurroundings.Managingchallenges
responsiblyistherightthingforustodo.
•
Protection–focusonprotectingpeopleandplacesfromharm
It’simportantthatweprotectpeopleandplacesfromharm.Wecandothisbysolvingtheissuesfacingour
environment.ismeanssteppingintoensurepeople’ssafetyandwell-beingtothebestofourabilityand
safeguardingtheplaceswedependon.Wealsoneedtotakemeasurestoeliminateorreducerisks,makingsure
thatpeopleareabletogoabouttheirlivesfreely.Concernforthewelfareofothersandvigilanceinpreserving
ourhabitatsarethehallmarksofaprotectiveapproach.Simplyput,wehaveadutytoprotectoursurroundings.
Protectionistherightthingforustodo.
•
Stronglyrecommendtheneedtoestablishthebasicmechanismofclimatechangeusingan
ExplanatoryMetaphor:BecausetheAmericanpublicisveryunclearonwhatcausesclimate
change,thepathwaytonecessaryandurgentsolutionsforclimatechangearealsounclear.
Problemcallingclimatechangea“pollutionproblem”becausethenpeopledrawincorrect
connections,likecleaningupapollutedlake.TheydidtestingaboutCo2andcameupwith
anexplanatorymetaphoroftheHeatTrappingBlanket:Heat-TrappingBlanket:When
weburnfossilfuelsforenergy,suchascoal,oil,ornaturalgas,wereleasecarbondioxideinto
theatmosphere.Carbondioxideisagasthattrapsheat.AsCObuildsup,itactslikeablanket,
trappinginheatthatwouldotherwiseescape.Globalwarmingisthe“blanketeffect”thatis
warmingtheplanet’satmosphere,disruptingthebalancethatkeepstheclimatestable.
Notere:FrameWorkscommunicationsmaterials:InApril,2016,CDCandAPHAreleaseda
seriesoffactsheetsonclimatechangeandPublicHealththatweredevelopedwithmessaging
designbyFrameWorksInstitute.
• http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/precip-final_508.pdf
31
•
•
•
•
http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/warmer-water-final_508.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/air-quality-final_508.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/extreme-heat-final_508.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/vector-borne-disease-final_508.pdf
LancetCommissiononHealthandClimateChangeReport(2015)
https://climatehealthcommission.org/about/
ThisreportcontainsasectiononPublicOpinionandBehavior/PublicResponsestoClimate
Change.Herearesomekeyexcerpts:
• Knowledgedeficitsarenottheprimarybarriertoaction;knowingthecausesand
consequencesofclimatechangedoesnot,onitsown,motivatepeopletochange
theirlifestyles.Emotionsandfeelingsarecentral.
o Negativeemotionsandfear,pessimismandguiltcanproducepassiveand
defensiveresponses
o Fearappealsonlyworkifaccompaniedbyequallystrongmessagesabouthowto
addresstheproblem
• Climatechangeisbestrepresentedinwaysthatanchoritinpositiveemotions,and
byframingactioninwaysthatconnectwithpeople’scorevaluesandidentities
o Framingexamplesthatdothisinclude:ethics/morality,intergenerational,
traditionalland/home-safeguardingancestrallands,sanctityofnaturalworld
(faithframeofcareforcreation),globalinjusticeofrichcountriesoverpoor
countries)
• Impliedethicaldutyofnationalandinternationalorganizationstotakeaction
o Individualsalonecannotmakethechangesneeded
o CountriesresponsibleforcreatingtheGHGemissionshavegreater
responsibilitytoact
o Publicwillingnesstoactiscontingentonresponsibleparties(governments,
business)acting.Cross-nationalsurveysshowthatmajorityofpublicbelieve
theirgovernmentsneedtoactandthattheyarenotdoingenough
• Manyclimateaffectingbehaviorsarehard/resistanttochange,evenifalternatives
exist(culturechangeneedednotjustinformationchange—theexamplesgivenwere
cooking,heating,transportation,food)(Thisdoesnotspecificallyaddresspolicy
changevsindividualbehaviorchange.)
TheLancetCommissionReportalsohasasectiononBringingtheHealthVoicetoClimate
Changewhichisrelevantbutnotexplicitlyaboutcommunications
GlobalWarmingSixAmericas(Maibach,Leiserowitz,etal)GMU’sCenterforClimate
ChangeCommunicationsandYale’sProjectonClimateCommunicationshaveproduced
multiplereportsovermultipleyears.(http://www.climatechangecommunication.org)
(http://climatecommunication.yale.edu)
32
Keyfindings:Thereare6segmentsoftheAmericanpublicalongacontinuumofbelief,
understandingandreadinesstotakeaction(issueengagement)onclimatechangethese
are
Alarmed,Concerned,Cautious,Disengaged,DoubtfulandDismissive.
Keymessagerecommendations(general):
• Climatechangeishappening
• It’sbadforourhealth
• Itwillgetworseifwedon’ttakeaction
• Therearesolutions,andsomeofthosesolutionsaregoodforourhealth
• Ifwedon’ttakeaction,thesituationwillbeworse,soTAKEACTION
Findingsthatpertaintohealth:
• Healthprofessionalsareeffectiveandcrediblemessengers
• Usinghealthframingandvaluesevokesamorehopefulreaction,includingreaching
someconservativesegments.
• Usinghealthperspectivesofclimatechangemakestheproblemmorepersonally
relevant,significantandunderstandabletomembersofthepublic.
ClimateSolutionsForaStrongerAmerica:AGuidetoEngagingandWinningon
ClimateChangeandCleanEnergy(2012andupdated2.1Version,2014),Breakthrough
StrategiesandSolutions,www.climatenarrative.org
ThisGuidehasbeenusedinpoliticalcampaignsto“catalyzeleadershipandactiontowarda
cleanenergyfutureandasaferclimate”andusesthe“WeMust,WeCan,WeWill”model
referredtointheworkshopbyHunterCutting,VicePresidentofStrategicCommunications,
ClimateNexus.Itrecommendsa“messagetriangle”forspurringpublicactiononclimate
andenergybasedonextensivetestingacrosstheUS.
Threat:Severeweatherandclimatechangeisharmingourchildren;wemustprepareand
tackleclimatechangenow.
Villain:Oilcompanieshaveastrangleholdonourdemocracyandareblockingthechanges
weneed.
Solutions:WecaninvestinCleanEnergy:Wecantakechargeofourenergynow.
ClimateAccess(www.climateccess.org)
ClimateAccessisaninternationalpractitionernetwork/learningcommunitythatoffersa
varietyofhands-onresourcesforthosedoingclimateeducationandcommunications.
ClimateNexus(www.climatenexus.org)
ClimateNexusisastrategiccommunicationsorganizationdedicatedtochangingthe
conversationonclimateandcleanenergysolutionsintheUnitedStateswithavarietyof
resourcesandmediaservicesthatconnecttoclimatechangeandhealth.
33
AppendixD
TwoPapersCommissionedinPreparationfortheWorkshop
A BRIEF TOUR OF PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS
from pleading for behavior change to pressuring decision makers to change policy
Lori Dorfman
Berkeley Media Studies Group
Prepared for the Climate Change and Health Communications Meeting
September 2015
I.
INTRODUCTION
The history of public health is clear: social conditions and the physical environment are
important determinants of health. Taking a public health approach, then, means including the
social, economic, and physical environment, not just the individual person, to cultivate
prevention at the population level. The primary tool for this is policy; it is the tangible mechanism
public health uses to improve and create conditions that foster health. A public health approach
to climate change—or any other issue—would learn from strategies that have helped public
health advocates make changes to systems and structures that affect health. The question is:
how can we use communications to focus attention on those conditions and what can be done
about them?
Typically, public health advocates who focus on social conditions reassign part of the
responsibility for health problems to industry and other institutions that shape the social and
physical environments.1 Tobacco control advocates did just that, fueling one of our greatest
public health success stories, so their use of communications warrants a closer look. Based on
that success, in this memo, I use tobacco’s success with media advocacy as a touchstone
for examining communicating about climate change.
II.
TOBACCO CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS: A FOCUS ON PURPOSE
Over the last 50 years, we have seen a sea change in how our country thinks about and acts on
tobacco. We have moved from a time when the air belonged to the smoker to now, when the air
belongs to the nonsmoker.2 How did that happen? And what role did communications play in
bringing about such a significant shift? No matter where you look for the answer to those questions,
you’ll find that there was a series of interrelated actions and actors that connected research,
advocacy, policy, even civil disobedience, and media campaigns. With hindsight, it is tempting to
think our progress resulted from a deliberative campaign with clear, agreed-upon goals and actions.
In fact, it was messy, contentious, and iterative—and still is (see the debates over e-cigarettes for a
current example). In the early years of tobacco control, simple statements could have a profound
effect on smokers: a major report from government, like the Surgeon General’s in 1964, or a
moving television ad in 1985 from the American Cancer Society, such as the one depicting Yul
Brynner, a popular actor who had recently died from cancer, saying simply, “Now that I'm gone, I
34
tell you: Don't smoke, whatever
you do, just don't smoke.”
Smoking rates declined, but
more was needed to have a
population level effect. For that,
tobacco control advocates took
heed of what Ralph Nader and
other consumer advocates
were doing and turned their
attention to the environment
surrounding smokers, and
policies as the way to align that
environment with public health
goals.
Clean indoor air laws and
excise taxes were two of the
most important policies that
shifted tobacco control in later
years to a focus on the
environment. The tobacco
industry got a glimpse of what
was to come as early as
youth; promote
1978, when it commissioned
the Roper organization to
survey Americans about
smoking and discovered that
the nonsmokers’ rights
argument was its greatest
threat.3 It was. The shift from
smokers to bystanders solidly
reframed tobacco and the monies from excise taxes provided health advocates with the resources
to shout about it.
As a result, we have witnessed a fundamental shift in tobacco control that reinforces a public health
approach. Tobacco has been redefined from an individual problem called smoking to a public issue
called tobacco, from a focus on blaming the smoker to a focus on the role of industry and the
government. Consequently, strategies are now directed toward creating rules that hold the tobacco
industry disproportionately, but fairly, accountable for the death and disability it has caused. A new
definition of the problem exposed the limits of the norm of individual responsibility, challenged the
market justice ethic driving public policy, and made room for a shift toward collective solutions rooted
in policy. The commitment to denormalize industry practices was reinforced by advocates who were
not afraid to challenge well-established norms and powerful multi-national corporations and
recalcitrant politicians, even before the discoveries made in formerly- secret tobacco industry
documents that verified everything public health advocates suspected about the lengths the industry
35
would go to pursue profits despite the high levels of death and disease tobacco wrought. Public
health is, arguably, a long way from completing its task, but surely, the tide has turned and we are
headed toward a world with less tobacco, not more.4
Tobacco is not an isolated case. In many instances, public health approaches to improve social and
physical environments has included direct and aggressive advocacy to change industry practices:
childhood lead poisoning advocates focused on housing and getting lead out of gasoline; the auto
industry was pressured to change cars and roads while Mothers Against Drunk Driving insisted
states enact laws about alcohol; in the 1990s, local campaigns in California succeeded in eliminating
junk guns and restricting firearm purchases; and now we are seeing increasing attention to the
sugary beverage and fast food industries. Comparisons to tobacco are popular because the tactics
and success are clear, but any population-based approach to improving health is likely to include
attention to all the actors who are implicated in the problem and can influence the solution, including
industry. There are no examples in public health where individual behavior change alone solved a
population-level problem.
III.
MEDIA ADVOCACY: WHEN THE PURPOSE IS POLICY
Tobacco control advocates developed media advocacy, the strategic use of mass media to support
community organizing and
policy advocacy, to help the
field seize the symbols of the
debate, highlight industry
misdeeds and support the role
of government to address the
problem with policy.
Media advocacy is a highly
strategic approach to support
community organizing and
policy advocacy that
emphasizes framing; it is not
simply media relations.
A key distinction between media
advocacy and other health
communications is that media
advocacy’s target is not the
person with the health problem
but the decision maker with the
power to change the conditions
that can prevent early death,
disease, and injury.5 Media
advocates use the whole range
36
of media tactics but focus on news because their targets are often policy makers. Their goal is to
activate participation in democracy, not deliver consumers a message. Media tactics emphasize
news coverage and paid advertising to support policy goals.
In practice, different approaches can be used together, but the danger is that because delivering
educational messages to individuals to encourage behavior change is not controversial, the
message will never get to the policy and the campaign won’t build power. A local health department
“Rethink Your Drink” campaign to reduce sugary beverage consumption will be used to greater effect
if, for example, at the same time advocates are pursing policies to reduce availability of sugary
beverages.
Media advocacy’s guiding principle is that you can’t have a media strategy without an overall
strategy. The policy goal drives the communication, not the other way around. Questions about what
to say, for example, can only be answered in terms of the specific solution dictated by the overall
strategy. Media advocacy insists that any message land on a distinct policy ask (or be in support of
one even if it’s not explicitly mentioned, sometimes called “air cover for ground troops”). In tobacco
control that could mean policies related to raising the price or the age to purchase or reducing
exposure to secondhand smoke, among others; for climate change, it might mean any of the policies
being pursued by comate change advocates.6
IV.
FRAMING: THERE IS NO BLANK SLATE
“Framing” refers to how an idea or issue is defined, portrayed, and understood. Frames operate at
the cognitive level, consciously or unconsciously, to construct meaning7 by promoting “a particular
problem definition, causal
interpretation, moral evaluation,
and/or treatment
recommendation for the item
described.”8
Framing has been a key focus of
media advocacy since tobacco
control advocates successfully
shifted attention from individual
smokers to industry and
government. Since then, deeper
Governmentinvolvement
investigations into framing have
revealed consistent patterns that
Community well-being
challenge public health
advocates. For example, in the
United States, the first
language9 for understanding
and solving problems is a default
frame that emphasizes an
individual’s personal responsibility rather than collective responsibility for the social and physical
37
conditions that influence health. Public health advocates often have to reframe issues beyond an
individual perspective to show that, beyond personal responsibility, where people live, work, and play
greatly affects health. Media advocacy aims to reframe stories framed as “portraits” focused narrowly
on individuals or events to those framed as “landscapes” that can reveal the context—the social,
physical, economic and historical conditions, systems and structures—surrounding individuals
and events and their related policy solutions.10
Advanced investigations into framing from scholars like George Lakoff11 and Jonathan Haidt12
emphasize the importance of articulating the values behind the frame. The fight against tobacco can
be seen as one successful example of shifting values from the primacy of the market and business
as usual for tobacco companies to health and shared responsibility. The rubric that Dan
Beauchamp used to explain public health’s imperative to focus on social justice can be summarized
by ideas from Jared Bernstein who describes this fundamental American economic framework as a
tension between values that say “You’re on Your Own” to those that say “We’re in this together.”13
We could trace this identical pattern in debates on other public health issues, from seat belts to soda
in schools. The reframing challenge is always the same though it has to be renewed, reinterpreted
and reinvigorated in each new debate and campaign. For example, BMSG’s studies of news
coverage show that public health advocates are good at explaining the complexities around the
rise in childhood obesity----almost too good. Many advocates elucidated the problem in detail but
failed to focus in on the importance of policy changes such as eliminating selling soda in
schools.14,15 Perhaps inadvertently, or perhaps because it’s easier or less controversial, they
reinforce individualized notions of the problem which makes it harder to justify broad-based
environmental solutions and shared responsibility for health.16
V.
LESSONS AND QUESTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATIONS
While tobacco isn’t nearly as complicated as climate change, we can still derive lessons for
communications, particularly on strategy and framing. These five stand out for me.
Policy strategy dictates message, not the other way around. Research shows that
communications campaigns are more successful when they are integrated with community action.17
Our experience working across issues over two decades is that successful advocates work
backwards from policy and community organizing goals to figure out their message. They stay
focused. They build power locally. They articulate their values. There will be a tendency to gravitate
toward tactics (Should we use entertainment strategies? Paid advertising?) but it will be impossible
to know which tactics will be useful outside of an overall strategy. The strategy won’t cover
everything because it has to be specific to the place and time but ideally it will also, if successful, be
a step on the path toward the larger goal. Soda taxes won’t help get healthier meals in schools, but
advocacy for both can elevate the importance of creating environments
that support health. The lesson from tobacco has been to focus upstream on policy and to
denormalize tobacco industry behavior and support the role of government to rein in that behavior.
There is no blank slate. Republican language guru Frank Lutz calls it the Paul Simon principle of
politics: “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”18 Lakoff would talk about it
38
a little differently but arrive at the same place: the frames that have developed over our lifetimes are
the filters through which we interpret everything, and American frames are stubbornly individualist.
When presented with problems like climate change, the starting point for most people will be that this
is a problem that individuals can solve themselves, without involvement from government. Even if
they believe the problem is systemic, people will go first to individual solutions.19 The health
argument won’t counter this tendency. When employing a health argument, and in every other
instance, a climate change communications strategy will confront a starting point that minimizes the
importance of policy and environments. A key challenge will be identifying the frames that can
elevate interconnection and make it easier to illustrate the landscape. Research could help climate
change advocates identify and reinforce shared values among allies, even when they are advocating
for different policies or with different constituencies.20
Bring health equity to the fore. Public health problems are not evenly distributed across the
population; in most cases, people from communities of color and low-income communities suffer
more. One failing of tobacco control has been its lackluster attention to racial equity which we saw
most recently when tobacco advocates agreed to outlaw every tobacco flavoring except menthol,
favored by African American smokers.21 While we celebrate the focused attention in tobacco control
to policy, which certainly benefitted low-income communities and communities of color, we also have
to recognize that the policy wins came first and most often in white communities and the movement’s
resources have not been equitably shared.22 This is a lesson that climate change activists
should take to heart, especially given the global inequities at play. The social justice underpinnings
of public health dictate that strategy and messages can’t come down from on high—those affected
most by the problem must have a seat at the table determining first the policy priorities and then the
messages that follow. Community organizing and building power is key.23 Building power can be
facilitated with training and support so people can make the case effectively about health in the
global context of climate change.
Build and support an infrastructure for advocacy. In the 50 years since the first Surgeon
General’s report on tobacco, we have seen a robust tobacco control movement grow from local,
specific campaigns to a force across the globe. Different sectors play different roles and there is
disagreement, but there is also progress. It is a chaotic, iterative process: researchers study what
works, investigate policy options and legal ramifications. Advocates develop a policy menu, set the
agenda for professional organizations, research institutions and policy makers. They organize and
argue and advocate around those policies. Funders support intermediary organizations to coordinate
the work and they support “boots on the ground” to carry it out.
Communications support can include policy analyses and policy briefs, talking points, media
advocacy training, journalist training, and message testing. Now it supports application to social
media. The question for climate change might be, with all the excellent work done to date, is climate
change communications already on the right path? Rather than creating a new message or even a
new policy menu, is the need more for training and capacity building to equip advocates to bring the
work to scale through organizing and advocacy?
Question, test, and reassess. As the tobacco issue matured, so did the techniques and knowledge
advocates used to address it. Modern campaigns like “truth” applied millions of dollars for message
research and got increasingly sophisticated with policy and media advocacy. Climate change is far
39
more complex, a “wicked problem”24 where politics may have more sway than science, and where
our science isn’t always up to the task. For example, public health suffers from a proximity problem:
the further upstream you go, the harder it is to connect our immediate action to alleviating the
problem, whether we are talking about chronic disease or climate change. A health message per se
may not be as powerful as demonstrating that the policies people are calling for will make a
difference. It may be that for climate change the real message problem will be helping people see
that incremental steps will make a difference. The urgency of the icecaps melting may be
extinguished by the fact that, as a recent New York Times story put it, “Nobody alive today, nor even
their grandchildren, would live to see such a calamity unfold given the time the melting would
take.”25
VI.
CONCLUSION: NO MAGIC WORDS
The promise of communications can be intoxicating and distracting. The environmental movement
has certainly communicated effectively by many measures—they transformed a whole color so that
now “green” means “healthy for the planet.” But those efforts have not yet convinced enough policy
makers about the actions we need to take to avoid climate disaster. What we say about it is
important; as many strategists would advise, we must be disciplined about choosing our words and
repeating them. But as the history of public health also teaches, message is but one part of the
puzzle, not always the most important part and never the first part of what should be considered. If
we take the lessons from tobacco control to heart, we will need media advocacy that focuses on
policy and equips a growing cadre of citizens who have diverse backgrounds, life experiences and
expertise, with the skills and courage to take command of the debate.
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1 Dorfman L. and Wallack L. Advertising Health: The Case for Counter-Ads. Public Health Reports,
108(6): 716-26, November-December, 1993, page 717.
2 Thanks to Elizabeth McLoughlin, Trauma Foundation, SF
3 Roper. 1978. A Study of Public Attitudes Toward Cigarette Smoking and the Tobacco Industry in
1978, Vol. 1. Roper Organization, May.
4 Dorfman L, Wallack L, Woodruff K. 2005. More than a message: framing public health advocacy
to change corporate practices. Health Educ. Behav. 32(4):320—36.
5 Wallack L, Dorfman L, Jernigan D, Themba-Nixon M. 1993. Media Advocacy and Public Health:
Power for Prevention. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
6 Rudolph L, Gould S, Berko J. Climate Change, Health, and Equity: Opportunities for Action.
2015. Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA.
7 Iyengar S. Is Anyone to Blame? How Television Frames Political Issues. Chicago, IL: The
University of Chicago Press; 1991.
8 Entman R. Framing: toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. J Commun. 1993;43(4):51—58,
pg 52. 9 Wallack L, Lawrence R. Talking about public health: developing America’s “second
language.” Am J Public Health. 2005;95(4):567--570.
10 Dorfman L, Wallack L, Woodruff K. 2005. More than a message: framing public health advocacy
to change corporate practices. Health Educ. Behav. 32(4):320—36
11 Lakoff G. Moral Politics: What Conservatives Know that Liberals Don’t. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1996.
12 Haidt, J. The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. NY:
Pantheon, 2012.
13 Bernstein, Jared. All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy. San Francisco: BerrettKoehler Publishers, Inc., 2006.
14 Woodruff, K., Dorfman, L., Berends, V., Agron, P. Coverage of childhood nutrition policies in California
40
newspapers, Journal of Public Health Policy, 24(2):150-158, 2003.
15 Dorfman, L., Bukofzer, E., and Lingas, E.O. Debates from Four States Over Selling Soda in
Schools, Issue 17: Berkeley Media Studies Group, November 2008.
16 Dorfman, L., Wallack, L. Moving Nutrition Upstream: The Case for Reframing Obesity. Journal of
Nutrition Education and Behavior, 39: S45-S50, 2007.
17 See for example, Rice and Atkin, Rice & Atkin (Eds.), Public Communication Campaigns, 4th
Edition, Sage Publications, 2012.
18 Peters, Jeremy. Trump Finds Defenders and Detractors Among Christian Conservatives, New York
Times, September 11, 2015, page A18 of the New York edition.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/us/politics/donald-trump-finds-defenders-and-detractors-amongconservatives.html?_r=0
19 Lawrence, Regina. American values and the news about children's health. Issue 12, Berkeley
Media Studies Group, August 2002.
20 Meta messaging: framing your case and reinforcing your allies. A Message Memo from the Berkeley
Media Studies Group and The Praxis Project, January 2005.
http://www.bmsg.org/resources/publications/meta-messaging-framing-your-case-and-reinforcing-yourallies
21 Cheyne, A., Dorfman, L., Daynard, R.A., Mejia, P., and Gottlieb, M. The Debate on Regulating
Menthol Cigarettes: Closing a Dangerous Loophole vs Removing the Right to Have a Choice. Am J
Public Health. 2014;
104:1048–1051.
doi:10.2105/AJPH. 2013.301754.
22 Themba-Nixon, M, Sutton, CD, Shorty, L, Lew, R, Baezconde-Garbanati, L. More Money More
Motivation? Master Settlement Agreement and Tobacco Control Funding in Communities of Color.
Health Promotion Practice July 2004, 5(3): 113S-128S DOI: 10.1177/1524839904264609.
23 See, for example, The Praxis Project. Weathering Together: Resilience as a Vehicle to Reshape
and Reimagine Policy, Political Will and the Public. In Pathways to Resilience: Transforming Cities in
a Changing Climate, Movement Strategy Center, January 2015.
24 Ritel, H.W., Melvin, M.W. Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences 4: 155-169,
1973.
25 Gillis, Justin. Using Up Earth’s Fossil Fuels Would Destroy All Ice, Research Say, New
York Times, page A10, September 12, 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/12/science/climate-study-predicts-huge- sea-level-rise-ifall-fossil-fuels-are-burned.html
41
PaperbyCaraPike,ExecutiveDirector,ClimateAccess
CLIMATECOMMUNICATIONTRENDSANDLESSONSLEARNED
DevelopedbyClimateAccessonBehalfofthePHI,Fall2015
Climatedisruptionispotentiallythemostunprecedentedriskthathumanityhasfaced.
Fromenergyuse,tofoodproductionandhealthcare,ourlife-sustainingpracticesareboth
vulnerabletotheimpactsofachangingclimateandcontributetocarbonemissionsthat
drivethem.Addedtothe‘wickedness’oftheproblemispoliticalpolarization,theinfluence
ofthefossilfuelindustry,lackofurgencyandrelevancywiththepublic,andrelative
immaturityoftheclimatecommunicationfield.Nonetheless,Americanslargelyaccept
thereisaproblemanddespitetheirsenseoffatalism,areoverallsupportiveofaction.
Manywonderaboutchangestakingplacearoundthemandhowthesetrendsaffectthings
theycareabout.Healthleadersareamongsociety’smosttrustedmessengersandcanhelp
connectthedotsbetweenthisglobalissueandwhatitmeansforindividuals.(1)
Thefollowingisashortoverviewofsomekeyclimatecommunicationeffortstodate,and
barriersfacedinadvancingdecision-makerandpublicsupportforclimatepolicies.It
includeslessonslearnedandremainingchallengesinforwardingactiononclimatechange
anditshealthimplications.
TheEvolvingClimateConversation
TheManufacturedUncertaintyDebate
Human-causedclimatechangeemergedonthepublicagendainthemid-to-late1980s,and
communicationwasfocusedonsharingscientificfindings.Astheimplicationsbecame
betterunderstoodandtheconversationexpandedtotheneedtocutgreenhousegas
emissions,thosewithadirectstakeincarbon-heavyeconomicintereststookaplayfrom
thetobaccoplaybookandlaunchedmisinformationcampaignsaimedatincreasing
uncertaintyofscientificevidenceandconsensus.(2)Theeffortpeakedin2009withthe
“Climategate”scandalwhereclimatescientistsattheUniversityofEastAngliawere
accusedofmanipulatingclimatedataincludedinthe2007IPCC(IntergovernmentalPanel
onClimateChange)report.Whiletheclaimsweredebunked,thepublicremainslargely
unawarethatthemajorityofscientistshuman-causedclimatechangeishappening.(3)
Thankstogreaterinvestmentsincommunicationsupport,thetonebegantoshiftwiththe
releaseofthenextIPCCreportin2014.Although“uncertainscience”wasstilladominant
themeinU.S.andUKmediacoverage,a“settledscience”framethatemphasizedconsensus
andtheneedforactionrivaledit.(4)Despitepushbackfromconservativemedia,the
releaseoftheNationalClimateAssessmentin2014alsogarneredwidespreadmedia
coverageofhowcommunitiesacrossthecountryarebeingimpactedbyclimatechange.
BoththeIPCCandNCAreleasesreliedonnetworkorganizingstructuresforgeneratingand
managingfunds,commissioningandsharingresearch,developingcommonframing
42
approaches,trainingscientistsandnon-scientistspokespersonsandcoordinatingoutreach
strategies.
Thechallengeofmanufactureduncertaintyhasnotgoneaway,however,therecentupdate
oftheAPStyleBooksuggestsmediaareincreasinglyacceptingtheexistenceofclimate
disruptionbasedonsoundscienceasabasicfact.ThisiscriticalbecausemostAmericans
hearaboutglobalwarmingthroughthemedia.(5)
ManufacturedUncertaintyandIssuePolarization
Theconservativemovementhasbeenpartoftheefforttodiscreditclimatescience.Besides
denyingtheexistenceoftheproblem,conservativeargumentsforinactioninclude:climate
changeisnotman-made(i.e.humanscannotcausesuchalargescalechangeand/orcarbon
isnaturalandgoodforus);ifitisoccurring,itwon’tbethatthreatening;andthesolutions
beingproposedbyenvironmentalistsaretherealconcern(i.e.toomuchregulation,jobkillingpolicies,etc.).(6)Unsurprisingly,politicalideologyisakeydeterminantofhow
Americansviewclimatedisruption.ThetrendhasshownDemocratsaslargelysupportive
ofclimateactionandRepublicanstakingtheoppositeposition.(7)However,recent
researchsuggeststhisgapisclosingandmanyRepublicans–particularlyliberaland
moderate–increasinglysupportclimateaction.(8)
Openingclimateconversationsbyfocusingonlocal,observableclimateimpactsratherthan
debatingthesciencecanhelpovercomepolarizationandbuildsupportforactionacross
ideologiesandworldviews.(9)Thisapproachplacestheaudienceatthecoreofthe
outreachstrategy,beginningwithimpactsmostrelevanttotheirinterests,andbridgingto
climatechangeovertimethroughdialogueandotherinteractiveandpeer-supported
outreachmethods.Forexample,theUnionofConcernedScientistsandViewpointLearning
foundthatinvolvingcommunitymembersinadialogueaboutcurrentandfuturesealevel
riseimpactandresponsescenariosalloweddifferencesinopiniontobeaddressedand
increasedconcern.(10)
MajoritiesAcceptYettheChallengeRemainsDistantinTimeandRelevance
Thepublic’sabilitytounderstandclimaterisksislimitedwhenthecausesarelargely
invisibleandimpactsseemdistant.(11)Thiscreatesa“notme,nothere,notnow”barrier
asmostAmericanbelieveglobalwarmingisimpactingplantsandanimalsandpeoplein
developingcountries,butnottheircommunityorthemselves.(12)Expertspokespeople
debatingtechnicalpolicyandscientificdetailshavedominatedtheclimatecommunication
landscapeintheUnitedStatesandwhilethisisstartingtochange,it’sletmanyunclear
aboutwhatmeansfortheirlives,andtheirroleinresponding.(13)Ariseinincreasein
extremeweathereventsiscausingalarmandwhiletheconnectionisnotalwaysmadeto
climatechange,theseeventsareprovidingteachablemomentsaroundtheclimatetrends
behindthem.Whilethehealthimpactsofclimatechangedonotcometomindtomost,
whenraised,Americansaregenerallyconcerned.(14)Peoplelargelysupporttheideafor
preparingforimpact(currentandanticipated),giventhetaskgiventhetaskwillonly
becomemoredifficultandexpensiveifwewait.(15)
43
Localgovernmentsinparticularareleveragingimpacteventstoincreaseengagementin
climateplanningefforts.Forexample,theCityofBaltimore’sawardwinningadaptation
strategyincludedthe“MakeaPlan,BuildaKit,ComeTogether”initiativethatmotivated
communitymemberstojointhecityincreatingemergencykitsandneighborhood
responseplans.(16)TheCityofSeattleisequippinglocalnonprofitorganizationswith
strongcommunitytieswiththetoolsandresourcestheyneedtocommunicateabout
climatedisruptionwiththeirnetworks.Outreachstrategiesincludecommunity-visioning
sessionsthatuseneighborhoodimpactandsolutionscenarios,enablingcommunity
memberstoexplorerisksandoptions,andprovideinputintoplanningdecisions.
Despitesomeearlysuccesses,muchisstilltobelearnedabouthowtoeffectivelybuild
linksbetweenextremeweatherimpactsandclimatedisruption.Thisincludesquestions
aroundhowtopromotemediacoveragethatconnectsthedots;howtousescenarios,
visualizations,dialoguesandothertoolstoengageatthecommunitylevel(17);ensuringan
equitylensisappliedtooutreachandengagementefforts;andlookingbeyondextreme
weathereventstomoresubtleclimateshifts,suchasextendedallergyseasons,and
implicationsforpublichealth.(18)
AcceptanceSetsin,AlongwithClimateFatalismandtheNeedforSolutions
Eventhosewhoacceptthethreatofclimatedisruptionfeelfatalisticaboutourwillingness
tomakenecessarychanges.(19)WhileAmericanswanttomoveawayfromfossilfuelsand
largelysupportsolutionssuchassolarandwindenergy,theyoftendon’tseethemas
immediatealternatives.(20)Overcomingfatalisminclimatecommunicationiscriticalas
socialchangeresearchshowsthatbalancingaproblemwithrealistichopeiscriticalto
increasingasenseofefficacy(21).Addressingfatalisminvolvesbothpresentingaviable
pathforwardaswellasengagingthroughdialogueandotherpeerbasedcommunication
approachesmentionedabovethatcanprovideemotionalsupportwhenpeoplebecome
overwhelmedbythescaleofthechallenge.
Unfortunately,climatecommunicationeffortsintheUnitedStateshavelargelyfocusedon
thethreattotheexclusionofthesolutionssideofthenarrative(22).Environmental
organizationsarebeginningtoaddressthisgapbyconnectingfossilfuelsupplytoclean
energyadvocacycampaigns(23)whileorganizations(i.e.theSolutionsProject)are
dedicatedtoadvancingrenewables.StatesandmunicipalitiessuchasVancouver,British
Columbia,alsolaunchingprogramstocutcarbonandincreasetheuseofrenewableenergy.
Thesesub-nationalandlocaleffortshavehelpeddrivemomentumaroundclimateactionin
thefaceofslowermovingfederalandinternationalpolicyefforts.
Aswithclimateimpacts,equityissuesarecentraltothedebatearoundclimateandclean
energysolutions.Environmentalandsocialjusticeorganizationsplayedakeyrolein
shapingthefinalCleanPowerPlan,whichrecognizestheneedforjusticeassessmentsand
providesincentivestoaccelerateaccesstoenergyefficiencyandcleanenergysolutionsfor
low-incomecommunities.Significantbarriersremain,asargumentsagainstcleanenergy
areoftenmadebasedonfearsofhighcostsandtheimpactonlow-incomeutility
ratepayers.
44
RenewedEffortstoMaketheEconomicCase
ThefailuretopassacapandtradepolicyintheSenatein2010promptedthe
environmentalcommunitytoreconsideritsstrategies.Analysisshowsthatgroupsfailedto
adequatelyorganizeatthecommunitylevel,optinginsteadtocraftpolicybehindclosed
doorsinWashingtonDC.Additionally,theyplayedtopublicopinionratherthanshapingit
(i.e.arguingforgreenjobsandreducingdependenceonforeignoilandignoringclimate
change).(24)Investmentsingrassrootsorganizingincreasedasaresult(i.e.350.org).
AttentionalsoshiftedtoprotestingagainstKeystoneXLandotherpipelineprojectsasa
waytocreateurgencyandlocalizeclimaterisk,andultimatelygeneratepolicyuncertainty
byremovingthesociallicenseforoildevelopment.Onecouldarguethesecampaigns
contributetoissuepolarizationyetatthesametime,pipelineprojectshavestalledinlarge
partduetopublicopposition.(25)
Investmentfirmsandorganizationsintroduced“unburnablecarbon”and“strandedcarbon
assets”intotheconversationandtheRiskyBusinessreportgainedmajormediacoverageby
presentingtheeconomicrisksofclimatechange.Theseconceptscontinuetobeamplified
byfinancialleadersincludingtheheadoftheBankofEngland.TomSteyer,ahedgefund
manager,foundedNextGenerationandinvestedapproximately$70millioninthelastmidtermelection.32%oftheracestheyinvestedinresultedinclimatefriendlycandidatesand
thismaybeconsideredafailure,theinvestmentwasatanewlevelfortheenvironmental
communityandmaytakeseveralelectioncyclesbeforebenefitsareclear.(26)
Aspartofmakingtheeconomiccase,divestmentcampaignshavegainedground,shifting
approximately$2.6trillionoutoffossilfuelsbyencouraging443institutionstodivestto
date.(27)Modeledafteranti-apartheiddivestmentcampaigns,theseeffortsarebeing
advancedwithuniversities,foundations,andpublicpensionfundsinparticular.Still
relativelynew,theongoingfinancialandcarbonreductionoutcomeswillbeimportantto
watch.
IncreasingCross-MovementOrganizingEfforts
Asmanygroupsturnedtoneworganizingstrategiesinthewakeofthefailedcap-and-trade
bill,theyhavesoughttodiversifyandexpandtheirbasebyreframingclimatechangeasan
economicandsocialjusticeissue.Lastyear’sPeople’sClimateMarch,thelargestrallyofits
kind,wasaresultofcross-movementorganizingthatincludedmorethan1,000
environmental,union,justice,faith,civilrights,indigenousandmanyotherorganizations.
Thiskindofbigtentapproach,or“movementofmovements”,isafairlynewapproachto
climateadvocacyandyetalreadyseeingsuccessinotherplaces,suchastheMarchforJobs,
Justice&theClimateinTorontothissummer.Byacknowledgingtheintersectionbetween
traditionalclimateissues(environmentaldegradation,etc.)andhumanimpacts(health
risks,jobinsecurity,foodshortages,forcedmigration,communityresilience,etc.),this
approachtoclimateorganizingincludesagreaternumberofvoicesandcommunities–
particularlyvulnerablecommunities,communitiesofcolorandthoseonthefrontlineof
climateimpacts.Thisstrategyisalsohelpingtapgreaterlevelsofsupportforclimateaction
innon-whitecommunities,suchasamongAmericanLatinos.(28)
45
TheAmplificationoftheMoralCalltoAction
Faithbasedorganizationsareaddingtheirvoicetothecallforclimateactionandpromote
theideaofcaringforfuturegenerationsaswellasthosemostvulnerabletoclimate
impacts,bothintheUnitedStatesaswellasdevelopingcountries.(29)Remarksdelivered
byPopeFrancisintheJuneencyclical,aswellasduringhisrecentvisittotheUnitedStates,
havesignificantlyamplifiedthemoralimperativetoaddressclimatechange.Hisremarks
alsopolarizedtheAmericanpoliticaldebate,promotingmajorattacksbyconservative
media.(30)Asurveyconductedafterthereleaseoftheencyclicalshowedthatwhilemost
Catholicshadnotheardaboutthepope’sstanceonclimatechange,theywerelargely
supportiveofhimtakingapositionandconsidertheissuereligiousand/orsocialinnature.
ThePope’svisittoNewYorkalsoreceivedmajormediaattentionandmayinfluencefuture
researchfindings.(31)
OpportunitiestoAdvanceClimateEngagement
Thepracticeofclimatecommunicationhasalottolearnfromthepublichealthsectoryet
therearebestpracticesthatcanbegleanedandappliedtoclimatehealthframingand
outreachefforts.
Startwithwherepeopleareat.MostAmericansaremoreconcernedabouttheirhealth
andthewell-beingofthosetheycareaboutthanclimatechange.(32)Identifytangiblerisks
facingthepublic,andlinktheseriskstoclimatedisruptionovertime.
Movebeyondfactstovalues.TapcoreAmericanvaluessuchastheimportanceofbeing
prepared,security,caringothers,andleavingtheworldabetterplaceforthenext
generation.(33)
Frameuncertaintyasareasontoact.Reframeuncertaintyasareasonwhyimmediate
measuresshouldbetaken.Giventherangeofpossiblehealthimpactsthatcouldworsen
overtimeifleftunchecked,it’ssafesttoactnowbeforeitbecomestoodifficult,costlyor
evenimpossible.(34)
Balancethreatsbypivotingtosolutions.Pivotfromthethreattoreal-worldexamplesof
actionsandpoliciesthatcanreducetheriskofclimateimpacts.Provideaclearsenseof
howactionscanmakeadifferenceandareinlinewithexistingvaluesincludingthe
importanceofhealthandwell-being.(35)
Usecompellingvisualsandstories.Powerfulimagesillustratehowanebulousconcept
likeclimatechangeisaffectingthelivesofAmericansintangibleways.Storieshelp
humanizestatisticsanddata,conveyingtheemotions,concernandhopeneededtomove
peoplefromdisinteresttoconcerntoaction.
46
Illustratetrendswithscenarios.Peopleprocessriskmoreeffectivelywhentheyactively
co-explorerisksandresponsesratherthanhavingthemprescribed.(36)
Facilitatecommunityconversationsandpeer-basedoutreach.Community
conversationsandpeer-basedcampaignscreatespacesforpeopletoco-exploreclimaterelatedimpactsandresponsesandprovideopportunitiestolistentocommunityconcerns.
Amplifyoutreachthroughnetworks.Broadanddiverseengagementrequireshealth
advocatesfromarangeofbackgroundsandcommunitiestoactivatetheirown
constituencies.
Conclusion
Itisclearthereisanopportunitytoincreasepublicawarenessofandengagementin
respondingtoclimatedisruptionbyfocusingontangible,neartermrelevantrisks
includingimpactstohealth.Toleveragethatopportunity,climateandhealthleadersmust
worktogethertodeterminehowtoincreaseawarenessofthehealthimpactsofclimate
disruption,createadistilledsetofactionsthatpublichealthleadersandthepubliccantake
torespond,anddeveloptoolsandtrainingforhealthprofessionalstoincreasetheir
comfortandcapacityincommunicatingaboutclimatedisruption.
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