Archive for the ‘Global Warming’ Category

Blog Action Day is October 15!

October 15 is Blog Action Today. I’m going to post more than a week in advance to try to prevent thousands of well-meaning bloggers all around the world from falling into a trap laid for them years ago by a spin doctor working on behalf of polluters and their political allies.

The topic for Blog Action Day this year is climate change, so here’s my (advance) post about it: For the love of god, don’t call it climate change. Please please please call it “global warming” instead.

Guess who wants you to use the word “climate change?” G.O.P pollster and spin doctor Frank Luntz. In his famous memo to G.O.P candidates, he urged them to use it because:

‘Climate change‘ is less frightening than ‘global warming.’ As one focus group participant put it, ‘climate change‘ sounds like you’re going from Pittsburgh to Fort Lauderdale. While global warming has catastrophic connotations attached to it, ‘climate change‘ suggests a more controllable and less emotional challenge.

Here, in plain English, is what Mr Luntz really meant: If we use the word “climate change” instead of “global warming,” people will pay less attention to it. And that is precisely what you, my polluter-bankrolled clients, want.

And that is also precisely what has happened. In the years since Al Gore worked so hard to make global warming a household word, green groups and news media have pretty much dropped the term in favor of the more scientific-sounding “climate change,” — and the public has paid steadily less attention to it.

The chart below proves Mr. Luntz’s point: There are far fewer Google searches for this issue now than there was just a few years ago – and this decline coincides with the adoption of “climate change” as the preferred term of the news media.

Blog Action Day: Click the chart to see it in full size.

Regular readers of this blog know that I don’t believe you can scare or guilt very many people into action — but boring or lulling them into complacency with scientific vocabulary that fails to evoke any sense of urgency is even less effective.

On Blog Action Day, let’s not play into the hands of people who to stop us from doing something about global warming. On October 15, let’s all blog together to warn our readers about the grave danger that global warming poses - and encourage our fellow citizens that it is not yet too late to make a difference… if we act fast and work together.

Environmental Awareness: He'll replace his old bulbs if he thinks everybody else is doing it

Coal-fired power plants — America’s chief source of electricity — drink prodigious amounts of water and spew an enormous amount of air pollution that causes global warming and threatens the health of families and nature. And corporations around the country want to build even more. So what exactly do you have to tell people to get them to use less?

According to an experiment conducted by Positive Energy, you have make them aware that their neighbors are doing their part to use less, so you ought to do your part, too. According to a story in The Atlantic, when Positive Energy sends electric bills, the bills feature smiley faces if the customer uses less than average, and frowny faces if they use more. The result that this simple step has produced — a 2% drop in overall energy use.

It’s a primitive instinct, much like the impulse that drives insects to swarm or birds to flock; people take in information and respond, without being aware of why they act the way they do.

–The Atlantic, July/August 2009

I imagine it would be pretty straightforward to repeat this experiment with water bills… I think this also speaks to the importance of following up after your events — Sending an email or writing a newsletter article praising the people who participated (showing pictures of their faces, and identifying them by name), and send it to the people didn’t come, too. It might increase your turnout next time!

Thanks to J.D. for slipping me the paper article a couple of months back!

The floods in Georgia are nothing to laugh at, but this picture (via a friend of a friend on Facebook) is still quite funny, and I thought you would all appreciate it.

Welcome to the warmer world, boys and girls.

The World Wildlife Fund is at it again — producing ads to raise environmental awareness in creative and visually striking ways. Check out this cool advertisement about the importance of forests:

An environmental awareness effort from WWF

The ad is undeniably clever and makes its point powerfully. Everyday citizens who see it might well say “whoa!” But without a “call to action” of some kind — a request to join, sign a petition, to boycott rainforest products, or something… anything… it will quickly evaporate from their minds without leaving so much as a trace.

Any thoughts on what WWF might say to check off the “Begin with Behavior” item on the Water Words environmental messaging method?

Here’s an example of what I mean. It’s a sign that some mental health advocates created. When you see it, you will probably say “Whoa! That’s an important problem.” But then what? How many of you will tell somebody else about this sign. And if I quizzed you next week about how many kids and adolescents suffer from depression, would you remember?

Mental health awareness effort

P.S. The (tiny) tagline in the WWF ad is “Before It’s Too Late.” I think that phrase belongs on the Words That Work list, but I can’t quite find much in the way of research to justify it. Any of you have any leads?

P.P.S. K.H. is blogging about this and several other WWF ads over at the Chesapeake Network. If you’re a member, go check out her her blog.