🕵️♀️ The Climate Propagandist Newsletter #6
Workshop recap and insights + 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 revisit the main learnings and insights covered in The Climate Propagandist's latest workshop, 'Posters for Climate Action.’ 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 newsletter is proudly supported by Communicating Climate Change.
🔦 POSTERS FOR CLIMATE ACTION: Workshop recap and insights
During our workshop, we embarked on a journey to understand the concept of climate propaganda and the underlying principles of persuasion.
Climate propaganda goes beyond the scope of climate communications, as it extends its purpose beyond raising awareness and imparting knowledge. It aims to shift public opinion, promote conscious cultures, and disrupt power structures. Climate propagandists are the spin doctors for planetary justice.
As we delved into the poster format, we recognised its paramount role in "seducing, exhorting, selling, educating, convincing, and appealing" to the masses, as writer and critic Susan Sontag aptly put it. In the digital age of echo chambers and online filter bubbles, it was clear that posters are vital for breaking into the public space — the "theatre of persuasion" — to address and bridge the polarisation surrounding climate change issues.
The exploration continued with a glance into the historical evolution of environmental posters since the 1920s. These visuals have transitioned from advocating for the preservation of the natural world to condemning pollution and climate injustices.
Next, we discussed posters that are effective…and those that are not. From these deliberations, we distilled valuable insights and key takeaways. Here are snapshots of our conversations.
Case study 1:
One of the prints we analysed was Shepard Fairey’s poster for the 2014 People's Climate March. In the context of a climate march, the choice of imagery left us somewhat perplexed.
The use of the Statue of Liberty, a widely recognised and overused symbol, felt rather commonplace, cliché, and quite frankly, a tad mundane.
Moreover, there is a confusing contrast between the message, which is about collective climate action, and the image depicting NYC underwater, which, for some, cast a discouraging shadow over the intended purpose.
Instead, the second poster, created by Lucy Robinson and Stephanie Sizemore, harnessed the symbol of the Statue of Liberty in a more unique and refreshing narrative. Drawing inspiration from 1920s travel posters, the design paints a dystopian, apocalyptic vision of the future. In this new world, people no longer visit the Statue of Liberty; they visit "the torch” - which is the only thing left rising above the water.
Case study 2:
Another print we examined was a poster featuring a polar bear-shaped melting iceberg, the artist of which is unknown.
Although aesthetically appealing, this artwork lacks a clear call to action and fails to evoke strong emotions. In short, it is uninspiring.
This observation raises a broader concern about the repetitive use of polar bear imagery in climate campaigns. For a time, it felt like the iconography of global warming was stuck. The excessive emphasis on polar bears has unintentionally resulted in a certain level of emotional detachment among the public. The visual discourse appeared to be more centred around these animals rather than on other species and the humans who coexist with them in the Arctic.
In contrast, the poster crafted by Hannah Schiesser for Greenpeace follows a similar minimalist design approach but tells a more impactful story. Here, the artist depicts an iceberg shaped like a human silhouette, struggling to stay afloat. The symbolism is clear and relatable, representing the existential threat posed by melting glaciers and its direct impact on human survival.
We examined dozens of more posters - 58 to be exact - and studied how they skilfully integrated a blend of rhetoric, symbolism, and myth-making in their visuals. After reviewing persuasion tips and tactics, it was time for a hands-on workshop.
Eco-communicator Gunjan Nanda generously shared her expertise and creative process for crafting compelling slogans and knowledge that truly resonate. Subsequently, we had the opportunity to put our newfound knowledge into practice by crafting our own slogans enriched with figures of speech and wordplay. A few personal favourites included "Plant seeds, don't seed plants" (Bhavna), "Trying to frack? Don't be wack" (Lauren), and "Clothes bought in haste go to waste" (Mel).
And here's some fantastic feedback to wrap it up:
“I really loved the format of the workshop - from the definition and history of propaganda to examples throughout history to the activity at the end. Overall very informative and and inspiring workshop!” - Retura
“I really enjoyed the exploration of the posters that have and haven’t worked, and the opportunity to delve into their symbolism and historic references. This combined with an activity on how to devise your own slogans and visual concepts has equipped and inspired me to design my own impactful posters for future fashion campaigns” - Mel
💼 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
BOOK: “The Activist's Media Handbook: Lessons from Fifty Years as a Progressive Agitator”
I recently got my hands on this book after listening to a previously recommended podcast featuring author David Fenton - “the Robin Hood of public relations.” In this memoir and guide, Fenton shares lessons from his extensive experience of over fifty years working within influential social movements, and provides insights on how to effectively communicate your story, engage audiences, and inspire the public to support your cause. An essential toolkit for those who drive change!
REPORT: “Communicating the Climate Crisis”
This report by ClimateXChange serves as both a comprehensive resource and a practical guide on effectively communicating the urgency of climate change to bridge the knowledge-action gap. It encourages us to reflect on the narrative we convey: “Are we telling a story of despair and so-called inevitability? Are we telling a story about negative emissions, feedback loops, tipping points, or other things most people don’t understand at all? Or are we telling a story of hope, possibility, and human agency?”
📹 Video resources
WEBINAR: “Shepard Fairey, The Power of Art”
This interview, hosted by Climate One, is a great follow-up to The Climate Propagandist's recent workshop, which highlighted some of Shepard Fairey's posters. In a time when the public is tired of climate charts and alarming images of melting glaciers and starving polar bears, street artist Shepard Fairey engages in a discussion on how art can stimulate a more productive conversation.
📻 Audio content
Keep scrolling just a tad further to discover some fantastic episode recommendations from "Communicating Climate Change," the podcast supporting this edition of the newsletter.
🎟 Special events and offerings
SUMMIT: “Climate Creatives 2023”, October 19th
How can the creative industries contribute to shifting systems? BBC Academy presents "Climate Creatives 2023," its third annual conference dedicated to exploring the important questions regarding the authentic integration of climate into creative content. This summit aims to unite the industry in examining the role of imagination in inspiring a low carbon future.
📢 SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT: Communicating Climate Change
"Communicating Climate Change" stands out as one of my top picks among climate communication podcasts. Each episode offers a different perspective on how to improve our abilities to engage, empower, and activate audiences on climate-related issues. The series provides a platform for engaging discussions with a diverse array of experts, activists, and thought leaders. Together, they serve up valuable insights and strategies to sharpen our climate comms skills.
If I had to recommend two episodes to get started, they would be:
Creating a Climate For Change where Susanne Moser weaves through what’s still missing in a lot of climate comms, and what communicators could do differently.
"Greenwashing 101" where Harriet Kingaby sheds light on the deceptive world of greenwashing.
Consider it a must-have tool in your climate propaganda toolkit!
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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Thank you Julie for a brilliant edition of this newsletter! The examples you provided of impactful posters vs not-so-impactful are very strong! Looking forward to reading the next one.