Issue: Environmental/Climate Justice

Using data on extreme weather to locally target messaging in areas experiencing it can dramatically increase impact. Through a pilot with Climate Central, the Innovation Team at the Partnership Project acquired a data set from NOAA of geographies impacted by extreme weather. They partnered with the National Wildlife Federation to examine the performance of two emails sent in July on extreme heat. They found people in the zip codes experiencing extreme heat for at least two consecutive days responded at a higher rate, doubling conversions. This confirms polling suggesting that local extreme weather influences opinions. Additional weather data sets from the NOAA are available by county, zip code, and Congressional district. This data is available for use to inform your online and offline targeting and match the right local extreme weather message/creative to the people impacted by that particular type of extreme weather. You can also watch a debrief video.

With so much passing through our inboxes every day, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really valuable. As 2021 finishes off, I wanted to circle back on some of the most insightful, novel, or important pieces of research that I’ve come across from the last year or so. These are the case studies, experiments, surveys, reports, and toolkits—on a range of themes—most worth remembering as we head into 2022. Think of this as an early evidence-based Christmas for climate advocacy!
Since any one research study can only tell us so much, I’ve emphasized resources that give us the widest aperture of evidence, such as literature reviews, meta-analyses, and large-scale experiments that test a variety of messages, messengers, etc. Among the research below, there are some that deepen our knowledge and increase our confidence on key questions (such as the value of emphasizing scientific consensus), while others expand horizons in new directions (such as new hard-won lessons from just transition campaigns).
One theme that emerges that’s worth contemplating as we close the year is a ‘back to basics’ perspective. That scientific consensus message is still key; environmentalist messengers talking about green jobs isn’t sexy, but it works; promote health impacts, health benefits, and include a call to action; and long-term organizing paired with authentic coalition building* remains the foundation of enduring people power.