🕵️♀️ The Climate Propagandist Newsletter #2
The deep-sea mining industry's greenwashing + 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’re exploring the deep-sea mining industry’s greenwashing - or “minesplaining” (yes, you read that right!). 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!
This week’s newsletter is proudly supported by Bantu.
🔦 INVESTIGATIVE PIECE: The deep-sea mining industry’s greenwashing (aka “minesplaining”)
Deep-sea mining - a new, highly-destructive extractive industry that retrieves minerals from the deep sea bed - has been running deceptive campaigns to push for approval from the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a body associated with the United Nations that oversees deep-sea mining in international waters. The industry could soon get the green light.
Mining companies have positioned themselves as both environmental heroes and indispensable players in the energy transition, all while conveniently overlooking the evidence of the damage that large-scale mining might cause to marine life and the climate!
There is a word for that: “Minesplaining”.
Courtesy of Greenpeace, this term exposes the industry’s habit of delivering its greenwashing arguments to the public in a patronizing manner.
Here’s what it looks like…
In this promotional video, Gerard Barron, CEO of industry leader The Metals Company, defines deep-sea mining as if he were to explain it to a child. “Mother Nature had a little secret. And the secret was waiting for us on the seafloor,” he said. Understand here: “We are here to exploit that sea bed and amass mind-boggling profits.”
On Instagram, The Metals Company writes: “While WWF and Greenpeace wrestle with reality, we’re finding actual solutions.” The industry “minesplains” climate advocates by presenting deep-sea mining as a harmless alternative to land-based mining, arguing that it would avoid damages like deforestation, toxic tailings, and habitat destruction.
Greenpeace debunks this false dichotomy: “The exploitation of the deep sea will do nothing to stop current or future harmful impacts of land-based mining. On the contrary, it will just add to the long list of places where humankind’s destructive quest for exploitable resources has left the planet and communities around the world deeply wounded.”
The Metals Company wants the public to believe its real motive is to stop deforestation - not to profit from investing tens of millions in mining the seabed. It portrays itself as a proactive activist and attempts to shift the blame onto organizations that refuse to take part in the destruction of the ocean floor.
Another “minesplaining” tactic is to frame mining as the only solution to energy security and competitiveness. The Metals Company has produced a commercial that taps into the anti-China discourse - the belief that China is a threat to the world and that its rise must be stopped. The ad uses a false dilemma fallacy (again): “The United States has a choice, we can try to play catching up with China in the conventional metal supply chain or we can innovate and secure our own future.”
Take a look…
Now, what can we do? To quote climate reporter Emily Atkin: "Anything".
As climate propagandists, one way to defend the deep is to expose the industry's "minesplaining" and create counter-campaigns. Last year, The Climate Propagandist participated in the #LookDown action against deep-sea mining and designed this graphic - a twist on the iconic “Jaws” film poster. We replaced the shark with something much more terrifying: the mining machine that will destroy the seafloor - and our future - for profit.
You can take action here.
💼 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
GUIDE: “The Debunking Handbook”
A downloadable guide to debunking misinformation by the Center For Climate Change Communication. The Handbook explores psychological research on misinformation and offers practical guidelines on exposing misleading or manipulative argumentation strategies.
BOOK: “Discourses of Climate Delay”
This is a comic adaptation of the ‘Discourses of Climate Delay’ study by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) analysing the discourses that obscure and block climate action. The book is both written and illustrated by Céline Keller.
📻 Audio content
PODCAST: “The Climate Denier’s Playbook”
Rollie Williams (Climate Town) and Nicole Conlan (The Daily Show) just launched a new podcast “examining the pervasive myths and misinformation campaigns that are making it obnoxiously difficult to address the looming climate crisis you’ve probably heard about.” Start by listening to the episode “You Owe Your Life to Oil & Gas,” where the podcasters comment on popular fossil fuel ads - it’s hilarious!
EPISODE: “The 7 Pillars of Behavioral Science for Climate Action”
In this episode of the How to Save the World podcast, environmental designer Katie Patrick presents 7 evidence-based techniques to use in your project, campaign, or startup to “ensure every person you touch goes on to take a real action that shifts the numbers.” A quick but necessary episode for impact leaders!
📹 Video resources
RECORDING: “The Ever-Shifting Landscape Of Climate Misinformation”
I attended this Covering Climate Now press briefing last week. The panelists discussed how to cover a disinformation campaign without amplifying it, delved into the nuances of free speech and disinformation, considered ways to inoculate readers against misinformation, and explored current trends. The session was moderated by award-winning investigative climate journalist Amy Westervelt. Now you have the chance to watch it on YouTube!
🎟 Special events and offerings
SUBMISSION: “The Climate Futures Prize,” until September 1st
The Climate Futures Prize is a fiction story contest by the think-tank Climate Vanguard that encourages young people to channel their creativity and imagination into liberated visions of the future. Authors must be 25 years old or under. “In difficult times, stories of future liberation motivate us. In revolutionary times, they guide us.”
EVENT: “Attack, Engage or Ignore? The role of ‘the enemy’ in climate narratives,” July 27
“Should campaigns prioritise seeking consensus, knowing how destructive polarised debates and culture-war tactics can be? Or ought we be less timid in calling out the culprits of the climate crisis - naming and shaming the enemy rather than shying away from necessary confrontation?” This session by community Inter-Narratives will explore a range of ways in which ‘enemies’ and opponents feature in climate narrative strategies. Looking forward to this one!
COURSE: “Creativity as a Catalyst for Change”
D&AD, the non-profit association for the design and advertising industries, has partnered with WeTransfer to launch “Creativity as a Catalyst for Change”, a free, on-demand course aimed at mid-level to senior creatives. You'll hear from a range of creative change-makers working across advertising, design, strategy, and within organisations to create work with impact.
🍫 SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT: Bantu Chocolate
This week’s newsletter is proudly supported by Bantu, an exceptional and award-winning farm-to-table chocolate company on a mission to revolutionize the cocoa industry with a fair and sustainable supply chain.
While most chocolate companies simply rely on cocoa farming, Bantu takes it a step further by embracing regenerative agriculture and cultivating their cocoa among thousands of other trees to promote biodiversity and enrich the soil. Bantu goes above and beyond in supporting their cocoa farmers. They pay their employees a living Anker wage, which is an incredible 7 times the Fairtrade equivalent.
If you're a chocolate enthusiast, I highly encourage you to try Bantu's mouthwatering and guilt-free chocolate. Not only will you be treating your taste buds to a delightful experience, but you'll also be supporting a company that is truly making a positive impact on both the environment and the lives of cocoa farmers. Visit their website at bantuchocolate.com to explore their delicious offerings and learn more about their inspiring story!
If you’d like to be our next sponsor, please let us know here.
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!
Help us keep The Climate Propagandist Newsletter free by making a small (or big) donation 💌
This one is so awesome!! Currently taking a uni class called the Psychology of Pseudoscience -- love to see false dichotomies get debunked. Reminds me of the "life hacks" @willowonearth posted that included "as often as possible, ask yourself: what's the third option?"
Ahhh, this is so good! We see a TON of this false dichotomy language in Minnesota when it comes to mining here. Thanks for your work to help us see clearly through that and know there IS another way.