🕵️♀️ The Climate Propagandist Newsletter #5
The Greens’ posters for peace and planet + your climate propaganda digest! 🌻
Welcome back to The Climate Propagandist Newsletter, a bi-weekly playbook that aims to inform and equip storytellers to become spin doctors for climate action!
In this edition, we explore The Greens’ impressive climate propaganda posters, framing the energy transition as vital for peace, people, and planet. As always, we have a treasure trove of climate propaganda resources for you to explore. Keep scrolling to the end to find our curated list of recommendations!
🔦 INVESTIGATIVE PIECE: The Greens’ posters for peace and planet
The fossil fuel industry has been exploiting Ukraine’s war to make unreasonable profits and spread its propaganda. American Petroleum Institute’s response to the crisis was to “unleash American energy” - the bad kind. While thousands of drilling permits remained unused during Ukraine's war, there was a continued push for new licenses to drill and frack locally, with the API asserting that "American energy leadership can serve as a stabilising force while strengthening global energy security.”
In the face of Big Oil's efforts to promote fossil fuels, The Greens/European Free Alliance responded with an ingenious campaign that made a simple and powerful connection: renewables mean peace.
Putin’s ability to invade Ukraine and threaten the stability of Europe comes exclusively from his control over Russian oil and gas production. Pushing for more fossil fuel exploration and production is a false solution that only perpetuates the problems that got us here in the first place. We must break our toxic reliance on oil and gas and ramp up efforts to switch to renewables now.
The aesthetic of the posters evokes a sense of historical significance, resembling the imagery of World War II, and the colour scheme, reminiscent of the Ukrainian flag, ties the message directly to the current conflict.
The first poster's visual composition unmistakably references Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. In this fresh reinterpretation, six individuals, standing for people power, inaugurate a wind turbine over a sunflower field, employing strong symbolism. This juxtaposition conveys a powerful message: the war can be halted through the widespread development of wind and solar farms across our nations, and this energy revolution will be grassroots in nature, driven from the bottom up.
The second poster presents home insulation as a direct protest action. Yet again, we can draw a historical parallel with World War II when growing one's own food was promoted as a way to contribute to the war effort (as explored in The Climate Propagandist Newsletter #3). This time, it's not local farming that's depicted as a contribution to victory; instead, it's the simple collective effort of insulating our homes.
Mark Ruskell of the Scottish Green Party has been promoting this narrative: “To isolate Putin we must insulate homes, rapidly shifting our reliance away from oil and gas and ensuring everyone has a warm home they can afford to heat – and a planet that’s worth living on.” Transitioning to renewables is not only essential to secure a sustainable future for all - it is indispensable for peace.
If exploring more climate propaganda posters piques your interest, we invite you to join us on October 5th for an exclusive workshop hosted by The Climate Propagandist: “Posters for Climate Action”.
💼 CLIMATE PROPAGANDA DIGEST:
Don’t miss out on these handpicked resources for climate propagandists. Here’s a curated list of what to read, watch, listen to, and engage with…
📑 Reading material
REPORT: “A New Era in Climate Communications”
Stop what you’re doing and read this groundbreaking report aimed at reimagining and reworking how we communicate about the climate crisis. A New Era in Climate Communications is a collaborative effort spanning +60 contributors and organisations developed by New Zero World in partnership and with the support of Global Commons Alliance. It's an invaluable resource for “shaping the campaigns, messaging and stories that will help determine our future”.
BOOK: “Is Shame Necessary? New Rules for an Old Tool”
Jennifer Jacquet (who also penned The Playbook - a must-read, by the way) explores the social nature of shame and how it can be used to promote large-scale political and social change. In a recent post from The Climate Propagandist, we dived into the strategy of 'Naming and Shaming' as a powerful activism tool to hold the polluting industries accountable. This book lays out a roadmap for how small groups of concerned citizens could use shame to change the behaviour of big corporations and even governments.
📻 Audio content
EPISODE: “Widening the Lens of Accountability”
I recently revisited this outstanding episode from Drilled, featuring discussions with Naomi Oreskes, Jennifer Jacquet, Dr. David Michaels, Geoffrey Supran, and Jessica Wentz. In this episode, the focus is on the origins of free-market ideology and delves into conversations about expanding climate accountability. It doesn't stop at holding oil companies responsible but also extends to other industries and enablers that have hindered climate action.
EPISODE: “The Best PR Campaign that Changed the World”
If you're in need of a shot of inspiration for your creative campaign, this episode is just for you! The hosts of Stories and Strategies for Public Relations and Marketing uncover the story behind some iconic PR campaigns, including the inception of Earth Day and the Paris Agreement.
📹 Video resources
RECORDING: “How Storytelling Advances Solutions”
If you also missed this year's NYC Climate Week, you definitely shouldn't pass up the opportunity to catch up on the enlightening discussions held at Solutions House. “Writers, filmmakers and creators spin up magic out of thin air. They make us laugh. They make us cry. They terrify us. But most of all they make us care about the worlds they create.” In these conversations, leaders, experts, and creatives delve into what constitutes a compelling narrative and why storytelling holds such a crucial role in the battle against climate change.
🎟 Special events and offerings
(Alright, time to brag about our very own event!)
WORKSHOP: “Posters for Climate Action: A Workshop for Climate Propagandists,” October 5th
How can we craft impactful posters for climate action? What elements contribute to persuasive design, language, and storytelling? What makes effective climate propaganda? This workshop will draw from the historic roots of persuasion and explore iconic propaganda posters to equip you with the tools, insights, and inspiration to encourage the cultural rebellion we so urgently need.
This workshop is for you if…
👁 you seek to refine your skills in visual storytelling and are eager to explore the poster format as a medium for climate activism,
🧠 you aspire to create compelling slogans and learn the language and messaging techniques that captivate hearts and minds,
🔮 you are on the lookout for a wellspring of creative inspiration and historical context to elevate your climate communications,
🔦 you are curious about climate propaganda
*We want to ensure that this workshop is accessible to everyone, including students and those who may require financial assistance. We encourage interested individuals to contact us via email at hello@theclimatepropagandist.com
While you eagerly await the next newsletter, why not hop over to our Instagram and LinkedIn pages for extra climate propaganda content? We've got a lot more in store for you there!
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