Examples of climate communication
These links connect to textual, audio, and video resources that can serve as examples of how matters relevant to climate change can be covered in the media.
Activism and protests
A Journey of Emotions from a Young Environmental Activist
Source: Area 2021
Summary: Traces the emotional reactions that inspired a young climate activist.
Climate Action: Can We Change the Climate from the Grassroots Up
Source: Deutsche Welle 13 June 2019
A list of successful actions taken by climate activists and activist groups.
Exploring Youth Activism on Climate Change: Dutiful, Disruptive, and Dangerous Dissent
Source: Ecology and Society 2018
Summary: Presents a typology of youth activists to inform understanding of the ways young people engage in political action and respond to political power.
Insulate Britain’s Protests Are Disruptive, Annoying–and Justified
Source: The Guardian 3 November 2021
Summary: The extreme tactics of climate protestors may be the most effective way to gain attention to the crisis.
‘It’s Awakened Me’: UK Climate Assembly Participants Hail a Life-changing Event
Source: The Guardian 31 December 2020
Summary: The participants in the first UK citizen’s climate assembly came away with new understanding and activism.
Massachusetts City to Post Climate Change Warning Stickers at Gas Stations
Source: The Guardian 25 December 2020
Summary: Gas stations in Cambridge, Mass. will post on its fuel pumps yellow warning stickers that describe the connection between the climate crisis and gas- and diesel-engine vehicles.
The Evolution of Extinction Rebellion
Source: The Guardian 4 August 2020
Summary: How one activist group considers and prepares to create transformational political and social change.
Source: The Open University 18 June 2020
Summary: An examination of how protest movements communicate their messages.
Source: Radio 4 30 October 2021
Summary: From Minute 25 to 35. Ahead of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) Zaqiya Cajee, an advocate of pre-loved fashion, and Mikaela Loach, climate justice activist and fifth year medical student, talk about how to engage people on climate change action.
XR History 2018-2019: Extinction Rebellion
Source: Extinction Rebellion UK 2 March 2020
Summary: Extinction Rebellion offer an account of their activism.
Addressing climate change
“How to Love Animals” by Henry Mance: Review: The Case against Modern Farming
Source: The Guardian 1 May 2021
Summary: Review of 2021 book exploring the history of the relationship between humans and animals and advocating for meatless lifestyles.
Climate Change Is Not a Subjective Thing
Source: New York Times 5 May 2021
Summary: Describes a video that documents “schizophrenic” attitudes to the environment in the United States.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
From Climate Crisis to Real Prosperity: Mark Carney: How We Get What We Value
Source: BBC Radio 4 26 December 2020
Summary: A “former Governor of the Bank of England argues that the market can be redirected to alleviating climate change.”
The New Political Story That Could Change Everything
Summary: TED 5 September 2019
Summary: George Monbiot’s TED talk that focuses on human capacity for altruism and cooperation and how they can be harnessed to create a better future.
The Year You Finally Read a Book About Climate Change
Source: New York Times 19 April 2020
Summary: A list of fiction and non-fiction titles with climate-change themes.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
What Is Carbon Offsetting and How Does It Work?
Source: The Guardian 4 May 2021
Summary: Outlines the argument that carbon offsetting strategies are insufficient to tackle the climate crisis.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Catastrophe
Source: The Nation 27 August 2020
Summary: A review of the book “The Unreality of Memory and Other Essays” by Elisa Gabbert.
Why I’m Feeling Hopeful about the Environment in 2021
Source: BBC News 4 January 2021
Summary: Five initiatives that give the reporter hope for the climate future.
Climate change denialism
Chapter 6: The Denial of Global Warming
Source: Merchants of Doubt 2011
Summary: Chapter 6 from a book exposing efforts by scientists to undermine public understanding of crucial scientific matters.
Notes on how to access: This link is to the book’s summary and Table of contents. The full book may be available to borrow from your library or can be purchased from the publisher.
A Late Burst of Climate Denial Extends the Era of Trump Disinformation
Source: New York Times 28 October 2020
Summary: Two Trump appointees posted climate-denial studies as the Administration approached its final days.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
Climate Explained: How Much of Climate Change Is Natural? How Much Is Man-made?
Source: The Conversation 18 September 2019
Summary: The author offers a retrospective on the science of climate change in an attempt to put to rest climate denialism.
How to Avoid Climate Change REALLY FAST
Source: ACCIONA 5 June 2018
Summary: Describes the mechanisms that allow people to ignore or deny climate change.
Why Climate Change Denial Still Exists In The U.S.
Source: CNBC 20 December 2020
Summary: Looks at the history and roots of climate change denialism in the U.S. and the economic and political interests that fund the denialism movement.
Corporate misinformation and greenwashing
“A Great Deception:” Oil Giants Taken to Task over “Greenwash” Ads
Source: The Guardian 19 April 2021
Summary: A 2021 report examining the advertising of fossil fuel companies argues that the ads misrepresent corporate actions, emphasizing the small scale of their sustainability initiatives over their large-scale, high-carbon business plans.
“Super Pollutors”: The Top 10 Publishers Denying the Climate Crisis on Facebook
Source: The Guardian 2 November 2021
Summary: A small number of sources account for most of the climate misinformation shared on Facebook.
Big Oil’s “Wokewashing” Is the New Climate Science Denialism
Source: The Guardian 9 September 2021
Summary: Fossil fuel companies use social justice framing in social media campaigns that dispute the urgency of the climate crisis.
Facebook Let Fossil-fuel Industry Push Climate Misinformation, Report Finds
Source: The Guardian 5 August 2021
Summary: Fossil fuel companies use Facebook to spread climate misinformation.
Facebook Suspends Environmental Groups Despite Vow to Fight Misinformation
Source: The Guardian 22 September 2020
Summary: Facebook’s initiative to combat climate misinformation on its platform resulted in the suspension of the accounts of several environmental groups.
Fossil Fuel Firms among the Biggest Spenders on Google Ads that Look Like Search Results
Source: The Guardian 5 January 2022
Summary: Fossil fuel companies can manipulate ad placement in Google search results in an attempt to influence public opinion.
Source: BBC Radio 31 October 2021
Summary: A look at the work of rebranding oil and gas companies as environmentally friendly.
How FTI Consulting Drove Influence Campaigns Nationwide for Big Oil: The New York Times
Source: Value Edge Advisors 17 November 2020
Summary: The “New York Times” exposed a consulting firm’s work to manipulate public opinion to undermine climate change science for the benefit of fossil fuel companies.
In Video, Exxon Lobbyist Describes Efforts to Undercut Climate Action
Source: New York Times 30 June 2021
Summary: U.S. lobbyist for Exxon caught revealing behind-the-scenes work that contradicts the company’s public statements about its support for climate change mitigation.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
Innocent TV Ad Banned for Claiming Its Drinks Help Environment
Source: The Guardian 23 February 2022
Summary: Beverage company banned from airing advertisement that suggested that the company’s products were environmentally friendly.
Source: Greenpeace 30 June 2021
Summary: Exxon publicly supports efforts to address the climate crisis but privately fights against activist measures.
Joe Lycett versus the Oil Giant
Source: Channel 4 24 October 2021
Summary: An examination of the accuracy of green claims made Shell Oil’s advertising.
Notes on how to access: Video-on-demand available with free registration.
Shell’s Climate Poll on Twitter Backfires Spectacularly
Source: The Guardian 3 November 2020
Summary: Shell’s attempt to engage with the public on Twitter did not end well for the corporation.
The Scientists Hired by Big Oil Who Predicted the Climate Crisis Long Ago
Source: The Guardian 2 July 2021
Summary: Interviews with three scientists whose research predicted climate change but was ignored by fossil fuel companies.
Why Is YouTube Broadcasting Climate Misinformation to Millions?
Source: AVAAZ 16 January 2020
Summary: An examination of Youtube’s recommendation algorithm concluded that the site drives users toward climate misinformation.
Windfall – The Booming Business of Global Warming
Source: Penguin Books 2015
Summary: A critical investigation into those who profit from the climate crisis.
Notes on how to access: This link is to the book’s summary and Table of contents. The full book may be available to borrow from your library or can be purchased from the publisher.
‘You Belong Outside’: Advertising, Nature, and the SUV
Source: Ethics and the Environment 2004
Summary: An examination of the use of the imagery of pristine nature in the advertising of environmentally unfriendly sport utility vehicles.
This links to the abstract of a scholarly article. Full-text of this article can be retrieved through an academic database or can be purchased from the publisher.
Chapter 6: The Denial of Global Warming
Source: Merchants of Doubt 2011
Summary: Chapter 6 from a book exposing efforts by scientists to undermine public understanding of crucial scientific matters.
Notes on how to access: This link is to the book’s summary and Table of contents. The full book may be available to borrow from your library or can be purchased from the publisher.
Explaining the climate (crisis)
Source: WWF
Summary: Debunks 10 inaccurate beliefs about climate change.
Source: BBC One 3 January 2021
Summary: Uses stories of wildlife to look at how humans are changing the planet.
Notes on how to access: Video-on-demand available with free registration.
Source: United International Pictures 2006
Summary: Award-winning documentary about climate change that raised the awareness of a generation.
Notes on how to access: This links to Learning On Screen, which is available within the UK to participating institutions. Check to see whether your institution is listed. This documentary is also available through several commercial streaming services.
Analysis: Why Children Must Emit Eight Times Less CO2 Than their Grandparents
Source: Carbon Brief 10 April 2019
Summary: Uses the notion of the “lifetime carbon budget” to assess reductions in carbon emissions to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Source: BBC One 18 May 2019
Summary: Sir David Attenborough looks at the science of climate change and some of the solutions to address it.
Notes on how to access: Video-on-demand available with free registration.
Ever Wondered: What Is the ‘Paris Agreement’ and How Does It Work?
Source: UNFCCC 24 September 2020
Summary: A short video explaining the Paris Agreement.
Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math
Source: Rolling Stone 19 July 2012
Summary: To try to escape ideological resistance to the realities of the climate crisis and to locate his argument in the realm of science, the author focuses his argument around three key numbers from the scientific analysis.
Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot Make Short Film on the Climate Crisis
Source: The Guardian 19 September 2019
Summary: “A short film highlighting the need to protect, restore and use nature to tackle the climate crisis.”
It’s Your Regular Arctic Death-spiral Update with Brenda the Civil Disobedience Penguin
Source: The Guardian 26 October 2020
Summary: A cartoon penguin gives a serious, science-focused update on global warming impacts in the Arctic.
Joe Biden Takes Climate Change Seriously
Source: New York Times 29 December 2020
Summary: Cabinet picks for the incoming Biden Administration have real environmentally friendly credentials and demonstrate serious concern for the climate crisis.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
Source: The Guardian 14 October 2021
Summary: This multi-media and interactive page depicts the environmental consequences or different global temperature increases.
The Discovery of Global Warming
Source: American Institute of Physics (Spencer Weart) August 2021
Summary: A collection of links to documents and sites that offer a historical perspective on understanding of climate change.
The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof
Source: New York Times 19 April 2021
Summary: A report on current facts about the climate and an explanation of how these facts are know. This article tackles a version of the epistemology of climate science.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
Source: Met Office
Summary: The UK Met Office provides multiple resources explaining the science of climate change.
What We Know about Climate Change
Source: MIT Press 2018
Summary: “Updated edition of a guide to the basic science of climate change, and a call to action.”
Notes on how to access: This link is to the book’s summary and Table of contents. The full book may be available to borrow from your library or can be purchased from the publisher.
Source: WWF UK
Summary: A questionnaire to help you measure your carbon footprint.
How misinformation is spread
How They Made Us Doubt Everything
Source: BBC Radio 4 2020
Summary: This series explores how “some of the world’s most powerful interests made us doubt the connection between smoking and cancer, and then … the same tactics were used to make us doubt climate change.”
Troll Factories: Manufacturing Specialized Disinformation on Twitter
Source: Political Communication 2020
Summary: Examines a large-scale effort by the Russia’s Internet Research Agency to influence political discourse and agenda in the United States.
Inequities in climate change
Rebuild or Leave ‘Paradise’: Climate Change Dilemma Facing a Nicaraguan Coastal Town
Source: New York Times 3 February 2021
Summary: A coastal town in Nicaragua faces a dilemma that many other communities will confront after a major hurricane: whether to rebuild or move on.
George Monbiot on Why Capitalism Cannot Save Our Planet from Climate Change [Part 1/5]
Source: Intelligence Squared 26 February 2020
Summary: George Monbiot argues that “to stop climate collapse, we must end capitalism.”
A Malawian Farmer Visiting US Wants to Know: “Why Not Do More on the Climate Crisis?”
Source: The Guardian 30 July 2021
Summary: A 2021 documentary explores how the actions of Global North countries have climate impacts that are felt in the Global South.
A Quick Guide to How Climate Change Is Impacting People Living in the Global South
Source: Ben & Jerry’s
Summary: The ice cream company presents an easy-to-understand report on the effects of climate change in the Global South.
Climate Justice for a Changing Planet: A Primer for Policy Makers and NGOs
Source: UN: Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) 2009
Summary: An overview of climate justice and a guide for ensuring that future actions to address climate change are equitable.
Confronting Carbon Inequality: Putting Climate Justice at the Heart of the COVID-19 Recovery
Source: OXFAM 21 September 2020
Summary: A report on the inequalities in the contributions to climate change and the experience of its effects.
Environmental Justice at the Crossroads
Source: Sociology Compass 2008
Summary: Describes the then-current state of the field of environmental justice.
Environmental Justice in a Moment of Danger
Source: University of California Press 2020
Summary: The author asks “what can we learn from environmental justice struggles?”
Notes on how to access: This link is to the book’s summary and Table of contents. The full book may be available to borrow from your library or can be purchased from the publisher.
How Will the Global South Pay for Climate Change Damage?
Source: New Internationalist 3 May 2019
Summary: Argues that market-based approaches to addressing climate change unjustly disadvantage the Global South.
Inequality Is Decreasing between Countries—but Climate Change Is Slowing Progress
Source: National Geographic 22 April 2019
Summary: The environmental and economic effects of climate change have a disproportionate impact on the poorest countries.
Madagascar Paying Price for Cheap European Flights, Says Climate Minister
Source: The Guardian 6 November 2021
Summary: Climate impacts have a disproportionate effect on countries in the Global South.
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate
Source: Simon & Schuster 2015
Summary: The author advocates for a transformation of global economies and political systems to combat climate change.
Notes on how to access: This link is to the book’s summary and Table of contents. The full book may be available to borrow from your library or can be purchased from the publisher.
The global internet as a medium of communication
Source: BBC Radio 4 21 September 2020
Summary: Three episodes discussing “the right to freedom of thought in the digital age.”
Source: BBC Radio 4 4 October 2020
Summary: This episode looks at the infrastructure that supports the global internet and asks whether it can fulfill the demands placed on it.
Source: BBC Radio 4 5 October 2020
Summary: One episode in a series about the “right to freedom of thought in the digital age” and the complicated intersection between new technologies and the human mind.
TikTok and Wechat: What They Tell Us about the Global Internet
Source: V-Tex-Technology: Your Future Technology 2021
Summary: The growing popularity of Chinese apps shapes the global internet in new ways.
Trump Is Wrong About TikTok. China’s Plans Are Much More Sinister
Source: New York Times 17 September 2020
Summary: The author argues that TikTok is one of many initiatives to boost China’s “soft power” across the globe.
Notes on how to access: The New York Times offers 10 free articles per month to non-subscribers.
Political pressures and climate communication
Source: BBC Radio 4 31 July 2020
Summary: Episode from the radio series “How They Made Us Doubt Everything.” This episode looks at the oil industry’s united campaign to counter scientific consensus on the human impacts on climate change.
Source: The Washington Post 26 November 2006
Summary: A report on the influence of fossil fuel companies and other corporate interests on science education in the U.S.