* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Climate Change and Health Communications
Soon and Baliunas controversy wikipedia , lookup
Michael E. Mann wikipedia , lookup
Global warming controversy wikipedia , lookup
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference wikipedia , lookup
Climatic Research Unit email controversy wikipedia , lookup
Global warming wikipedia , lookup
German Climate Action Plan 2050 wikipedia , lookup
Climate change feedback wikipedia , lookup
Heaven and Earth (book) wikipedia , lookup
Fred Singer wikipedia , lookup
Climatic Research Unit documents wikipedia , lookup
General circulation model wikipedia , lookup
ExxonMobil climate change controversy wikipedia , lookup
Climate sensitivity wikipedia , lookup
Climate resilience wikipedia , lookup
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Australia wikipedia , lookup
Economics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming on human health wikipedia , lookup
Climate change denial wikipedia , lookup
Effects of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Politics of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Climate change adaptation wikipedia , lookup
Climate engineering wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and agriculture wikipedia , lookup
Solar radiation management wikipedia , lookup
Attribution of recent climate change wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in Tuvalu wikipedia , lookup
Climate governance wikipedia , lookup
Citizens' Climate Lobby wikipedia , lookup
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme wikipedia , lookup
Climate change in the United States wikipedia , lookup
Scientific opinion on climate change wikipedia , lookup
Media coverage of global warming wikipedia , lookup
Public opinion on global warming wikipedia , lookup
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report wikipedia , lookup
Climate change and poverty wikipedia , lookup
Surveys of scientists' views on climate change wikipedia , lookup
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. 2 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 3 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 4 KeyWorkshopTakeaways • • • • • • • • 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 5 • • 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 6 Recommendations • 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 7 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. o • • • • • Substantialnewresourcesareneededtohelplocalpublichealthdepartmentsaddress climatechangerisksoverallacrosstheirprogramareas,andspecificresourceswillbe neededfortheclimateandhealthcommunicationseffortsdiscussedhere. NOTE:Messagingwillneedtobeupdatedasnewknowledgeisgainedclimateimpacts occurandeffortsareevaluated. 8 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 9 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. 10 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. 11 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. 12 • 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 • • • • • 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. 14 • • • 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 16 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. 17 • • • 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. 18 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. 19 • • • 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 20 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 21 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. 22 • • • 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. 23 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. REFERENCES 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. REFERENCES: 1.Roser-Renouf,C.,Maibach,E.,Leiserowitz,A.,Feinberg,G.,Rosenthal,S.,&Kreslake,J. (2014)GlobalWarming'sSixAmericas,October,2014:PerceptionoftheHealthConsequencesofGlobal WarmingandUpdateonKeyBeliefs.YaleUniversityandGeorgeMasonUniversity.NewHaven,CT:Yale ProjectonClimateChangeCommunication. 2.Moser,Susanne.WIREsClimChange2010. 3.YaleProjectonClimateChangeCommunication“PublicUnderstandingvs.ScientificConsensus” http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/article/public-understanding-v-scientific-consensus. 4.O’Neil,Boykoff,etal.DominantFramesinLegacyandSocialMediaCoverageoftheIPCCFifthAssessment Report.NatureClimateChange,March2015. 5.Leiserowitz,A.,Maibach,E.,Roser-Renouf,C.,Feinberg,G.,&Rosenthal,S.(2015).Climatechangeinthe Americanmind:March,2015.YaleUniversityandGeorgeMasonUniversity.NewHaven,CT:YaleProjecton ClimateChangeCommunication. 6.McCright,Aaron;Dunlap,Riley.ChallengingGlobalWarmingasaSocialProblem:AnAnalysisofthe ConservativeMovement’sCounter-Climate.SocialProblems.2000 7.Leiserowitz,A.,Maibach,E.,Roser-Renouf,C.,Feinberg,G.,&Rosenthal,S.(2014)Politics&Global Warming,Spring2014.YaleUniversityandGeorgeMasonUniversity.NewHaven,CT:YaleProjectonClimate ChangeCommunication. 8.Republicans,CleanEnergyandClimateChange.PollconductedbyEchelonInsights,NorthStarOpinion Research,andPublicOpinionStrategies, onbehalfofClearPath.August24-27,2015. 9.Pike,Caraetal.ThePreparationFrame:AGuidetoBuildingUnderstandingofClimateImpactsand EngagementinSolutions.ClimateAccess.2015. 10.Furth,IsabellaandHeidiGantwerk.CitizenDialoguesonSeaLevelRise: 47 StartwithImpacts/EndwithAction.UnionofConcernedScientists,ViewpointLearning.2013. 11.Moser,Susanne.WIREsClimChange2010. 12.Leiserowitz,A.,Maibach,E.,Roser-Renouf,C.,Feinberg,G.,&Rosenthal,S.(2015).Climatechangeinthe Americanmind:March,2015.YaleUniversityandGeorgeMasonUniversity.NewHaven,CT:YaleProjecton ClimateChangeCommunication. 13.Pike,Caraetal.ClimateCommunicationandEngagementEfforts:TheLandscapeofApproachesand Strategies.ReporttoSkollGlobalThreatsFund.TRIG’sSocialCapitalProject.2012. 14.Roser-Renouf,C.,Maibach,E.,Leiserowitz,A.,Feinberg,G.,Rosenthal,S.,&Kreslake,J.(2014)Global Warming'sSixAmericas,October,2014:PerceptionoftheHealthConsequencesofGlobalWarmingand UpdateonKeyBeliefs.YaleUniversityandGeorgeMasonUniversity.NewHaven,CT:YaleProjectonClimate ChangeCommunication. 15.ecoAmerica.ClimateImpacts:TakeCarePrepare.2012. 16.Baja,Kristin.BuildingCommunityConversationsaroundPreparednessinBaltimore.ClimateAccessblog. Aug7,2014. 17.ClimateAccessRoundtable“EquitableCommunityEngagementinClimateAdaptationandDisaster Planning”May13,2013. 18.ClimateAccessRoundtable“UsingaPublicHealthFrametoEngageAudiencesonClimate”June12,2013. 19.Leiserowitz,A.,Maibach,E.,Roser-Renouf,C.,Feinberg,G.,&Rosenthal,S.(2015).Climatechangeinthe Americanmind:March,2015.YaleUniversityandGeorgeMasonUniversity.NewHaven,CT:YaleProjecton ClimateChangeCommunication. 20.Metz,DaveandLoriWeigel.“VoterAttitudesTowardEnergyIssuesintheMidwest:KeyFindingsfrom FocusGroupsandaRegionalVoterSurvey.”FM3andPublicOpinionStrategies.August2014. 21.Ganz,Marshall.“WhatisPublicNarrative”HarvardKennedySchool2007. 22.Pike,Caraetal.ClimateCommunicationandEngagementEfforts:TheLandscapeofApproachesand Strategies.ReporttoSkollGlobalThreatsFund.TRIG’sSocialCapitalProject.2012. 23.Pike,Cara.TarSandsSolutionsNetwork“BreakingtheInevitabilityFrame”September2014. 24.Skocpol,Theda.NamingtheProblem:WhatitwilltaketoCounterExtremismandEngageAmericansinthe FightAgainstGlobalWarming.HarvardUniversity,2013. 25.VancouverSunEditorial.“Pipelinefacesmajorhurdles,Projectwillnotlikelybebuiltwithoutsignificant changes”June18,2014. 26.Hamburger,Tom.“WhatdidTomSteyergetforhis$70million?”WashingtonPost.PoliticsNov5,2014. 27.www.gofossilfree.org 28.Segura,GaryandAdrianPantoja.2015EnvironmentalAttitudesSurvey.LatinoDecisionsinpartnership withEarthjusticeandGreenLatinos.July2015. 29.Pike,Caraetal.ClimateCommunicationandEngagementEfforts:TheLandscapeofApproachesand Strategies.ReporttoSkollGlobalThreatsFund.TRIG’sSocialCapitalProject.2012. 30.Bishop,Thomas.“ConservativesAttackthePope”MediaMattersforAmerica.Dec5,2013. 31.SurveyOnAmericans’ViewsOnPapalEncyclicalOnClimateChange.YaleSchoolofForestry& EnvironmentalStudiesandtheAssociatedPress-NORCCenterforPublicAffairsResearch.July2015 32.PewResearchCenter.Public’sPolicyPrioritiesReflectChangingConditionsatHomeandAbroad.Jan2015. 33.ecoAmerica.ClimateImpacts:TakeCarePrepare.2012;and 48 34.Krosnick,Jon.“PublicPreferencesRegardingPreparingforthePossibleEffectsofClimateChange” StanfordWoodsInstitutefortheEnvironment.2013. 35.Ackerman,FrankandElizabethA.Stanton.TheCostofClimateChange:Whatwe’llpayifglobalwarming goingunchecked.NRDCMay2008. 36.Fortunato,K.,Sessions,K.(2015).AchievingaClimateforHealth:PhilanthropytoPromoteHealthand JusticethroughtheChallengesofClimateChange.Washington,DC:HealthandEnvironmentalFunders NetworkandecoAmerica. 49