The document discusses strategies for effective climate change communication, emphasizing the importance of addressing psychological distance and empowering individuals to take action. It highlights the significance of personal experience with extreme weather, the moral implications of climate change, and the need for relatable narratives and visuals to engage diverse audiences. Additionally, it suggests five principles for public engagement and stresses the role of trusted peers in conversations about climate impact.

1. Jill Hopke, Ph.D.
Archdiocese of Chicago
June 6, 2018
Effective Climate Change
Communication

2. Belief in climate change harm
Source: Data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. County and district-level opinion data are estimates based on
survey responses from more than 18,000 U.S. adults (age 25 and older) collected from 2008 and 2016. Graphics by: New York Times
https://nyti.ms/2mL0o4J

3. Climate change as as a distant, far-off problem?
Polar bears as a “condensation symbol” on climate change

4. What climate change means for Chicago

5. Climate Change Beliefs

6. Climate change belief – The “Six Americas”
Source: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2018, March), http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projects/global-
warmings-six-americas/.

7. • Personal experience
with extreme weather
events can impact
likelihood someone
believes global
warming is occurring
Extreme weather and climate beliefs
Damaged boats dropped in a heap by the storm surge
of Hurricane Sandy on the New Jersey shore. Source:
http://www.climatevisuals.org/.

8. Climate change as a moral and justice issue
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 Communication.

9. Climate justice – Connecting climate change
to economic and social justice
Example: Green the Church
• Disproportionate effects
• Caused largely by industrialized
nations
• Affected people disenfranchised
in climate change talks
• Unsustainable
production/consumption

10. What have been your
experiences talking
with people about
climate impacts and
solutions?

11. Overcoming
Psychological
Distance on Climate
Change

12. • Climate change is viewed as a distant, far-off
risk for many people
• “Not here” and “not now”
• Challenge to perceive cumulative, long-term
impacts, doesn’t activate “fight or flight”
mechanism
Psychological distance of climate change

13. Empowerment can lead to action
Credit: Climate Outreach, “Managing the Psychological Distance of Climate Change.”

14. • Self-efficacy
– Belief I can effectively take action
• Response efficacy
– Belief my actions meaningfully contribute
• Collective efficacy
– Belief the group is capable of taking action
• Collective response efficacy
– Belief advocacy will influence policymakers and/or policies can
reduce climate change/impacts
Types of efficacy

15. Efficacy and empowerment can lead to action
Source: Feldman, L. & Sol Hart, P. (2016). Using political efficacy messages to increase
activism: The mediating role of emotions. Science Communication, 38(1), 99-127.
Available at: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1075547015617941
Empowering
Messages
Increased
Efficacy
Hope
Meaningful
Action

16. Promoting hope and action by connecting to
what people love
Example: “Show the Love” Climate Coalition (UK) campaign

17. What do you love that
is impacted by climate
change?

18. Developing New
Climate Narratives

19. Lead with what you know – Not what you don’t
• Be clear on the scientific
consensus
o Use graphics
o Use messengers seen as
trustworthy to
communicate consensus
o Find a values-match
Source: Corner, A. et al. (2015). The Uncertainty
Handbook. Bristol: University of Bristol.

20. Focus on certainty in terms of “when,” not “if”
Source: Corner, A. et al. (2015). The Uncertainty Handbook. Bristol: University of Bristol.

21. • Answer the
following:
– What do we know?
– What don’t we know?
– Why do we care?
Break down climate research
Image source: http://www.mission2020.global/

22. “Consensus
messaging” makes a
difference…
Share climate science.

23. • What’s your “So what?”
– Tailor to your audience
• Support your message
– Facts
– Statistics (limited)
– Examples
Focus on what you know
Image source: https://climateoutreach.org/climate-visuals

24. Trusted peers matter…
Have face-to-face
conversations.

25. • Frame in a way that’s
meaningful for people
– Think about timing
– Provide examples and
context
– Clarify information, not
simplify
Make it meaningful
Image source: https://climateoutreach.org/climate-visuals

26. Making things
tangible…
Connect to climate
impacts that hit
close to home.

27. Example frames, or angles, and their audiences
Available at: https://climateoutreach.org/resources/ipcc-communications-handbook/
• Avoiding wastefulness
– Positive for all audiences;
particularly conservatives
• Health benefits
• Balance
– Speaks to core values of
center-right audiences

28. Meet people where
they are in terms of
climate beliefs…
Ask “How did you
come to this belief?”

29. Five principles for public engagement
Corner, A. & Clarke, J. (2017). Talking Climate: From Research to Practice in Public Engagement. Palgrave Macmillian: Cham, Switzerland.
1. Learn from previous campaigns and test
assumptions
2. Start from “values-up” not from “numbers-down”
3. Tell new stories to shift climate change to a social
reality
4. Shift from “nudge” to “think” on climate citizenship
5. Promote new voices

30. The Importance of
Climate Visuals

31. Source: Corner, A. (2017, Dec. 4). COP-out: Why are so many media outlets failing to tell the climate story? Climate Outreach.
Available at: https://climateoutreach.org/cop-out-why-are-so-many-media-outlets-failing-to-tell-the-climate-story/
First Common
Frame:
“Negotiators in
Suits”

32. Source: Corner, A. (2017, Dec.
4). COP-out: Why are so
many media outlets failing to
tell the climate story? Climate
Outreach. Available at:
https://climateoutreach.org/
cop-out-why-are-so-many-
media-outlets-failing-to-tell-
the-climate-story/
Second Common
Frame:
“Protesters in Polar
Bear Suits”

33. • 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
Going beyond polar bears
Source: Corner, A., Webster, R. & Teriete, C. (2015). Climate Visuals: Seven principles for visual climate change communication (based
on international social research). Oxford: Climate Outreach.

34. • Show real people
– Don’t stage!
• Tell new stories
– “Classic” images =
fatigue
– Go for less familiar,
thought-provoking
Climate visuals: Key recommendations
“Kids Planting Flowers
Our research found that images of children
engaging in climate-related actions
generated positive emotional responses.”
Source: http://www.climatevisuals.org/galleries/new-
stories/#gallery/gallery-images-that-tell-a-new-story/127

35. • Show causes at scale
– People don’t
understand links to
daily life
• Climate impacts =
emotion /
overwhelming
– Put with actions people
can take
Climate visuals: Key recommendations
“Traffic Jam USA
Our research found that people often had
difficulty linking individual behaviours to
climate change - so showing personal
behaviours 'at scale' is more effective.”
Source:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/florian_the_great/5325929187

36. • Show localized
impacts
– Balance with bigger
picture
• Be careful with
protest imagery
– Most people don’t
identify with
Climate visuals: Key recommendations
Image source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/21/peoples-climate-
march_n_5857902.html

37. Climate Outreach (UK) – Climate visuals
resource
https://www.climatevisuals.org/

38. What would it take to
have participatory
public engagement on
climate issues?

39. Questions?
Jill Hopke, Ph.D.
jhopke@depaul.edu
Jillhopke.com