Jack Stern from Ocean Champions wrote an interesting post on the Shifting Baselines blog about the frustrations of trying to mass mobilize citizens to pressure Congress to do right by the ocean. He said:

This to me is our biggest problem in getting people activated on ocean issues: they have a hard time seeing or feeling most of the destruction that happens in the oceans, and so no matter how much we squawk about it, it’s a “problem for the future.”

Ponder that quote for a minute. He’s right about two things, but still misses an important point. It’s true that everyday citizens have a hard time personally relating to problems in the open ocean. It’s also true that they tend to view environmental problems of every kind as manifesting themselves in the future rather than today.

But like many of us, Jack seems to believe that outrage leads to action, and that’s just not true. At least not by itself. Alarm is just one ingredient in the recipe for action on the part of everyday citizens.

“Now matter how much we sqawk,” most of the citizens who hear us lack the knowledge and confidence to act on the outrage we provoke unless we tell them what they can do. If we don’t paint a clear picture for how their actions make a difference, they won’t see it, and most won’t bother. And because they think their individual sacrifices are of little consequence, we need to tell them and demonstrate that others are doing their part and we are all working together towards a common goal.

And Americans’ tendency to think their individual efforts aren’t worth it is particularly pronounced when the necessary action is civic or political in nature. Check out this excerpt from Belden Russonello & Stewart’s landmark Communicating About Oceans: Results of a National Survey report. Note how citizens perceive that writing Congress is one of the least effective things they can do to protect the ocean.

You can shock people all you want, but unless you help people overcome the sense of futility about their actions, that outrage won’t get you much.

That’s why Secret to Success #4 is to both Warn and Encourage.

Thanks to Mark at Blogfish for the tip.

When I first saw this video produced by WWF Canada, I thought “that’s so clever.” But when I watched it again, I thought “that’s so disappointing.” Bottom line here: You have to know a lot about global warming already to get anything from this little stunt. It’s preaching to the choir, and it won’t win over many converts to our point of view on the problem.

It states a true fact — and illustrates it in a snazzy way. But the billboard completely fails to address two crucial questions that everyday citizens ask themselves when confronted with an environmental problem:

How does it affect me?
If you are totally clueless that sea level rise threatens inhabited areas before you see the billboard, you will still be totally clueless after you see the billboard. And many citizens are clueless about this.

What can I do about it?
If you don’t already know that you can do something about this before you see the billboard, you still won’t know that you could do something after you see the billboard. The statement on the billboard now is so matter-of-fact that it somehow implies inevitability.

If it was my billboard, I’d slap a picture of a home or a school on there, that would slowly succumb to the rising waters, to illustrate that this problem will affect you. And then I’d replace the factual-but-meaningless statement that “Ocean levels are rising faster than ever” with something more empowering or action oriented, like:

“You can stop this. Learn how: http://saveourclimate.cn”

Almost there, WWF Canada. Please try again.

OK, I promise this is the last excerpt from the Clean Ocean Action video “The Giving Ocean.” This closing scene is scripted and shot perfectly.

Here’s the third excerpt from Clean Ocean Action’s “Giving Ocean” film that I like so much. In this bit, the group shows the viewer what they can do, makes them feel like they can make a difference, and assures them that if they try, they’ll be working together with a lot of other people instead of toiling in isolation. Even though they don’t use these exact words, they push all these emotional buttons.

And for what it’s worth, everybody who turns out for a beach cleanup is making an emotional investment in a healthy ocean and Clean Ocean Action’s success.