Connecting on climate and energy: Finding common ground in an era of political polarization

1. Jill Hopke DePaul Alumni University April 8, 2017 Connec?ng on climate and energy: Finding common ground in an era of poli?cal polariza?on

2. •  What’s at stake •  Social media on DAPL and Standing Rock •  Comparing presiden?al rhetoric on climate change •  Communica?ng on climate change Talk Outline

3. What’s at Stake?

4. NASA [NASA]. (2017, Jan. 18). 2016 is the third year in a row to set a new record for global average surface temperatures. [Tweet]. Retrieved from hXps://twiXer.com/NASAClimate/status/821762849496186880

5. Unsplash. (2015, Feb. 8). [Person walking pipeline] [Photograph]. Retrieved from hDps://pixabay.com/en/person-‐walking-‐pipeline-‐tube-‐steel-‐731319/

6. My research -‐ Conﬂict over energy development and climate ac?on on social media 2013 in New Brunswick, Canada and 2016/17 in North Dakota, United States

7. TwiXer post volume, April 1, 2016 to March 30, 2017

8. March 28: President Trump rolls back Obama era climate policies

9. Comparing Past Presiden?al Rhetoric on Climate Change

10. Origins of the study of rhetoric •  Athens origins – Discovery of available means of persuasion in any speciﬁc situa?on – Socially / publically oriented and contextual •  Tropes – Turn in meaning (metaphor, irony) •  Metaphor – Mother Nature, Spaceship Earth

11. Spaceship Earth metaphor Apollo 8: Christmas at the Moon “Earthrise” (Dec. 24, 1968) Image source: hXps://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/apollo_8.html

12. 3 aspects to a rhetorical situa?on •  Exigency – Set of condi?ons making up a “problem” take on sense of urgency •  Audience – People addressed and THEIR beliefs / worldviews •  Constraints – Limita?ons (cultural, etc.) and context

13. Dominant vs. cri?cal discourses •  Dominant Discourse – Recurring paXern of speaking about something that has “taken-‐for-‐granted” status (e.g. economic growth is good) •  Cri?cal Discourse – Recurring ways of speaking that challenge dominant discourse

14. •  George H. W. Bush –  Spoke to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990 •  Barack Obama –  U.S. leadership at COP21 2015 •  Comparing presiden?al rhetoric ac?vity Some history: Presiden?al ac?on on climate Former President George H. W. Bush signing the UN Framework Conven?on on Climate Change in 1992 (Photo credit: UN Photos)

15. Communica?ng on Climate Science

16. Communica?ng climate science Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-‐Renouf, C., Feinberg, G. & Rosenthal, S. (2015) Global Warming’s Six Americas, March 2015. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communica?on.

17. •  Peripheral / heuris?c informa?on processing – Visuals, humor, credible sources •  Posi?ve social norms – Climate-‐friendly behaviors are common •  Show rather than tell •  Show localized climate impacts •  Use storytelling / narra?ves Tailoring appeals to “disengaged” publics

18. •  Context of “disinforma?on campaigns” – Highly poli?cized issue – False memes, inaccurate mental models •  “Vaccine” against false claims – Cultural cogni?on theory – a4tudinal inocula?on •  Convey consensus of climate scien?sts on human-‐caused climate change – “97% of climate scien?sts have concluded that…” Inocula?ng against misinforma?on Source: van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., and Maibach, E. Inocula?ng the Public against Misinforma?on about Climate Change. Global Challenges: Climate Change. 2017. DOI: 10.1002/gch2.201600008. Retrieved from hXp://climatecommunica?on.yale.edu/publica?ons/inoculate-‐public-‐misinforma?on-‐climate-‐change/

19. •  How to counter-‐act false claiming on climate science? – Pre-‐emp?vely highlight misinforma?on and refute counter-‐arguments – “Inocula>on messages” help, eﬀec?ve across poli?cal ideology aﬃlia?ons Inocula?ng against misinforma?on Source: van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., and Maibach, E. Inocula?ng the Public against Misinforma?on about Climate Change. Global Challenges: Climate Change. 2017. DOI: 10.1002/gch2.201600008. Retrieved from hXp://climatecommunica?on.yale.edu/publica?ons/inoculate-‐public-‐misinforma?on-‐climate-‐change/

20. •  Moral framing new for most people in US •  “Six Americas” views: – Fairly high on religiosity / spirituality – Similar levels of empathy for others – Similar levels of consumerist values – Caring for poor, environment and future genera?ons important, higher with “concerned” Moral framing and religious beliefs Source: Roser-‐Renouf, C., Maibach, E., Leiserowitz, A., Feinberg, G., & Rosenthal, S (2016). Faith, Morality and the Environment: Portraits of Global Warming's Six Americas. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communica?on.

21. "The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.” "Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years.” "We need to strengthen the convic?on that we are one single human family." ~ Pope Francis; Excerpts from Laudato Si’ (2015)

22. Visualizing Climate Change

23. Climate change as a distant, far-‐oﬀ problem?

24. •  Climate change is hard to visualize –  Intangible and abstract, large-‐scale global problem •  Problem with polar bears –  Gives impression the problem is far oﬀ and distant •  Study of how people respond to climate visuals –  2015: Discussion groups in London (2) and Berlin (2) –  Interna?onal online survey (n=3,014) Going beyond polar bears Source: Corner, A., Webster, R. & Teriete, C. (2015). Climate Visuals: Seven principles for visual climate change communica>on (based on interna>onal social research). Oxford: Climate Outreach.

25. •  Show real people – Don’t stage! •  Tell new stories – “Classic” images = fa?gue – Go for less familiar, thought-‐provoking Climate visuals: Key ﬁndings “Kids Plan?ng Flowers Our research found that images of children engaging in climate-‐related ac?ons generated posi?ve emo?onal responses.” Source: hXp://www.climatevisuals.org/galleries/new-‐stories/#gallery/ gallery-‐images-‐that-‐tell-‐a-‐new-‐story/127

26. •  Show causes at scale –  People don’t understand links to daily life •  Climate impacts = emo?on / overwhelming –  Put with ac?ons people can take Climate visuals: Key findings “Traffic Jam USA Our research found that people oyen had difficulty linking individual behaviours to climate change -‐ so showing personal behaviours 'at scale' is more effec?ve.” Source: hXps://www.flickr.com/photos/florian_the_great/5325929187

27. •  Show localized impacts – Balance with bigger picture •  Be careful with protest imagery – Most people don’t iden?fy with Climate visuals: Key ﬁndings Image source: hXp://www.huﬃngtonpost.com/2014/09/21/peoples-‐climate-‐ march_n_5857902.html

28. •  Lastly but important! Understand your audience. – For people on poli?cal right, “distant” climate impacts = ﬂaXer emo?onal response – Images showing climate solu?ons = mostly posi?ve emo?ons for individuals across poli?cal ideology Climate visuals: Key ﬁndings

29. Ques?ons? Jill Hopke, Ph.D. jhopke@depaul.edu