The Ocean Project posts weekly roundups of the key strategic ocean and climate communication resources we’ve been tweeting. Each link will be posted with a short description of what you’ll find—please feel free to ask us any questions!
Lots of good stuff this week, so let’s dive in:
Lots of good stuff this week, so let’s dive in:
News & Discussion
Check out these timely articles and essays which may be helpful for framing various environmental issues, connecting with specific audiences, or otherwise informing your storytelling and communications.
- Who is to blame for American climate inaction?
A new report from Harvard scholar Theda Skocpol has caused a bit of a hullabaloo in the environmental community, particularly those who like to engage online. Super, super simplified: the report posits that environmental groups mistakenly put their money into “insider grand bargaining” in an effort to get cap-and-trade legislation passed, while underestimating the radical shift to the right many Republicans had made. Check out a summary here, interesting look forward from David Roberts of Grist here.
- Where oh where have the environmental journalists gone!
You may have heard last week that the New York Times has dismantled its environment desk. Even worse, turns out there are only “about a dozen” environment reporters left at the Top 5 US papers. Inside Climate News lays out the situation, and it’s not pretty. As the consequences of environmental degradation get more serious, our quality news coverage of these issues is flagging. We at The Ocean Project are wondering: what implications could this have for trusted messengers, such as our zoo, aquarium, and museum partners?
- UN-Like: Social media backlash prompts reef cleanup
This uplifting story shows how social media can get work done in the real world. Michael McCue, curator of the Underwater World Aquarium, shared a nasty trash heap while diving on a reef off of Agat, Guam on YouTube. The footage mobilized multiple organizations to get the mess cleaned up. Advanced Aquarist has more details and the video. Hooray for sharing and caring!
Resources
Some studies, market research, toolkits, and strategies that may be helpful when communicating about conservation and climate change.
- The Political Benefits to Taking a Pro-Climate Stand in 2013
US—a new brief report from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication lays out why opposing global warming is a hot political stance right now.
- Communicating climate change: research and recommendations
From Resource Media: “Our super-smart friends at Climate Nexusjust put together a climate change polling synthesis that features good news, more good news, and some very good advice. Here’s the headline: Americans are really starting to get it, even Republicans.”
