Changing Climate & Changing Minds - Challenges of Climate Communication - Nalaka Gunawardene

Changing Climate &Changing MindsBy Nalaka Gunawardene

Science writer & communication consultant

Panel remarks at:

nalakagunawardene.com

Where I come from… Trained as science writer, worked in

print, broadcast & web media for 25+ yrs Been covering climate change stories

from 1988 Not obsessed with global climate talks;

instead, looking at how to prepare for inevitable impacts + climate solutions

Part of Lankan expert team that prepared National Climate Adaptation Strategy 2011-2016 (esp. comm. strategy)


International climate responsefor 20+ yrs, summed up…This is the way

ththth


Climate communication: Mostlydriven by panic, fear & hysteria…?


Meanwhile, we are well past this finger-pointing!


Communications since Rio 1992:It’s now a multi-narrative world… Mainstream media: still important - even

though their influence slowly declining Many more channels & voices today:

Citizens armed with smartphones accessing online info sources, reacting & sharing

Advocacy orgs doing more direct engagement of public (without mass media)

Social Media: Blogs, FB, Instagram, Twitter: Loud, chaotic & contested public sphere!


Cyclone Roanu hits Lanka: May 2016 images shared on social media…

Never miss a good disaster go to waste?

This is our new reality!


A Tale of Two Worlds?

http://www.scidev.net/south-asia/environment/analysis-blog/climate-communication-key-to-survival.html

Proper climate communication is key to our survival. But it’s easier said than done!


Climate Communication: make it ‘Third plank’ in climate response “As climate change impacts are felt more widely,

the imperative for action is greater than ever. Telling the climate story in accurate and accessible ways should be an essential part of climate response. That response is currently organised around two ‘planks’: mitigation and adaptation. Climate communication can be the ‘third plank’ that strengthens the first two.”

- Nalaka Gunawardene, SciDev.Net, 23 Apr 2014


Change is slow…But it IS happening! We are well past the ‘ifs’ and ‘whens’ of climate

change: it’s unfolding here & today — whether we’re ready or not!

Govts are committed to Paris Agreement But they need to persuade their publics on

behaviour changes & reforms needed In democracies: public discussion & debate

vital: climate can’t be saved by diktat! Communications plays major role


Info, education & comm (IEC): Consider both Supply & Demand ‘Supply’: providing authentic,

relevant & timely climate information to everyone who needs it, in languages and formats of their choice

‘Demand’: inspiring people to look for specific knowledge & skills to make themselves more climate resilient


Climate Communication is an art(based on science!)

Environmentalists & scientists have failed to build sufficient urgency for action. We need new communication approaches. Some basic tips:1. Tell more unique, local stories.2. Focus on audience, not argument3. Use emotion and narrative. 4. Be sensitive to North-South disparities. https://orionmagazine.org/2013/03/on-the-art-of-climate-change-communication/

Vice President & Senior Scientist, Conservation International

TV personality in US on conservation issues


What is to be done?Get the messages right…

We must move away from disaster-driven climate communications of doom and gloom

Focus on climate resilience & practical solutions to achieve it

What matters to average person: Cheaper energy (economic benefit) Cleaner air (health benefit) Staying alive (public safety benefit)


Going beyond those already green Climate justice notions,

biodiversity conservation & all other considerations appeal to those already concerned with issues.

To reach out and engage the unconverted, climate communication must use health, wealth & children


What is to be done?Higher priority & resources

Higher policy priority needed for strategic communication of govt’s own climate policies and practices at national & local level (Not COP participation or other legal or diplomatic stuff)

Increase resources: can 5% of total climate spending be set aside for info, education & comm (IEC)?

Sri Lanka campaign in 2013-14 for govt to allocate 6% of GDP for education


What we said in C/C IEC strategy:Slow, gradual process – stay with it!

“It (IEC Strategy) is based on the premise that raising public understanding and support through effective communication is a precondition for changes in policy, practice and behaviour at all levels in society. Such change happens slowly and incrementally involving the engagement of multiple stakeholders at different levels: awareness raising; updating and deepening of knowledge; training and capacity building; and advocacy.”


No longer possible: Monopolization or centralization of any info!

Govt is a key player in climate response, but NOT the only one

Research/academic, civil society, grassroots and industry voices must be heard & heeded too

Not always possible to agree: we need criticism & even dissent

But enough finger pointing – now use ALL 10 fingers for solutions!


Inconvenient & unpopular questions MUST be asked…


Good initiatives must be critically cheered – as I do in my media work

Ravaya 28 Aug 2016: comment on govt’s new solar initiativehttp://ravaya.lk/?p=16851


Relevant for climate resilience& good climate communication too!


What to do with total climate cynics? Let them be & we carry on!


Ready or not…Change is coming!Email:[email protected]:twitter.com/NalakaGRavaya column archive (in Sinhala):nalakagunawardene.com/ravaya-

column/