Archive for the ‘Global Warming’ Category

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There’s been quite a few public opinion polls and surveys lately which paint a distressing picture of waning public urgency around global warming. So when the Due Diligence Test Panel rates a global warming email more highly than a batch of competing pieces, it’s worth noting what the authors did right.

The author, in this case, is World Wildlife Fund. WWF organizes the annual Earth Hour, a simple “take action” campaign to send a message to officials about public support for global warming action. They’ve done a great job: The chart above shows how the two events have each produced a sharp spike in Google search activity. Meanwhile, longer running wildlife-themed events like International Migratory Bird Day and National Wildlife Refuge Week don’t produce enough search activity to even register.

Here are some numbers that the sounding board gave the Earth Hour email and a batch of comparable pieces. For a piece about global warming these days, the Earth Hour numbers are damn good:

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So what has World Wildlife Fund done right? I think it’s two things. The first is that they have followed Step One; Begin with Behavior to the extreme. Earth Hour is all about a simple action: turning off your lights. In comparison, wildlife refuge week and migratory bird day both have complex messages and activities that all revolve around that nebulous idea of “raising awareness.”

The second is that WWF has fully honored both the letter and the spirit of the Words That Work list: working together, doing your part, and making a difference. When I asked the test panel what they liked best about the piece, the answers revealed how much WWF’s effort here has paid off:

• “The fact that so many people joined in the cause last time around.”
• “The strongest thing about the piece was the statement that one billion people participated in Earth Hour last year. That shows that this issue is important and should encourage people to participate this year.”
• “The numbers quoted about world wide and American participation seem quite compelling.”

Click the links below for the original materials:

• Email: Take Action for Polar Bears, Tigers and Marine Turtles
• Due Diligence Test Panel review of this email

By the way, Earth Hour 2010 will be held on March 27th.

So it’s heartening to see G.O.P spinmeister Frank Luntz applying his talents to advancing solutions to global warming instead of trying to stop them. He’s got a gift, so his journey to the light side of the force is most welcome.

That said, Dr. Luntz switching sides is about the only big surprise in The Language of a Clean Energy Economy, which summarizes the his findings on how to use language to advance policy solutions to global warming.

So what words does Dr. Luntz want people like you avoid? Well, “Carbon Neutral” for one. And what words should you use? Well, when you’re talking about the environmental benefits, you should use:

• Clean
• Healthy
• Safe

Heard those somewhere before?

What’s interesting here is Luntz’s finding that independence (a.k.a “Freedom“) from Middle Eastern oil is a concept that appeals to all demographic groups, and this is actually a more compelling vision to put in front of citizens than some dire global warming apocalypse.

Click the link below for the full report
Environmental Communication Advice

P.S. This report was funded by the Environmental Defense Fund. Did they change their name back?

So what do big polluters like Alcoa, American Electric Power, Chrysler, Dow, Duke Energy, and Shell Oil have in common with green groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council and The Nature Conservancy?

We believe it’s time for Democrats and Republicans to unite behind bi-partisan, national energy and climate legislation that increases our security and limits emissions, as it preserves and creates jobs.

Click the link below to see to see the statement with your own eyes:
Environmental Advertisement in the Wall Street Journal

This environmental advertisement is compelling because it works two angles at once:

• The “Strange bedfellows” angle — Shell Oil and NRDC agree on something? I bet that got your attention.
• The “Credible messenger” angle. I come back to this point often, and I’ll do it again. Nature protection and pollution control organizations are NOT credible messengers on jobs and the economy. People like you should stick to family, health, clean water, and wildlife arguments. If there is an economic argument to be made, enlist some business allies to make it, like this example here. Don’t try to make it yourself!

The ad was orchestrated by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Good job, guys.

Scientists who study the natural world can be uncomfortable with human’s basic irrationality. But for psychologists and scientists who study human behavior, it’s a fact of life. Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a story called “Its Natural to Behave Irrationally,” which explores possibilities for communications about global warming that swim with the current of human nature instead of against it.

I note with interest one important word that pops up frequently in the story — behavior. As in the disciplines of “behavioral economics,” and “behavioral psychology.” Implicit to this story is that if you want to change people’s habits in ways that reduce global warming, you will have to define those behaviors and work towards them specifically. None of the experts cited in the article seem to believe that general “awareness” leads to much concrete action.

Farenthold summarizes some of the work this way:

…tap into two powerful human impulses: to be like one’s neighbors and then to beat them at something.

Among the evidence supporting this approach is a 2007 study conducted in San Diego. Researchers hung fliers on doornobs featured four different messages urging energy conservation:

1. Conserve energy because it helps the environment
2. Conserve energy because it is socially responsible
3. COnserve energy because you will save money
4. Conserve energy because most of your neighbors are doing their part already

These are all decent enough, but when researchers went around and read the electrical meters of those households, the largest gains were found at homes that had received message #4.

More good examples in the Washington Post about environmental communication and behavior change.