Resource Type: Experiments

This week, we hear from 2023-24 Climate Justice Micrograntee Groundwork Ohio River Valley. This program provides funding to help document and amplify “lessons learned” from U.S. climate justice organizations who are advancing equitable, community-based solutions to the climate crisis.
Groundwork Ohio River Valley has created a report and toolkit on the findings of the Climate Advisory Group (CAG) program model from their Climate Safe Neighborhoods Program (CSN) initiative, a national effort through Groundwork USA to identify neighborhoods that are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of racial and social injustices, engage frontline resident leaders and partners, and ignite action towards climate resilience. The report outlines the latest lessons learned and challenges encountered when implementing the community organizer model.
We’re excited to feature their report back in our Lab insights this week! Keep reading to learn more about the project and their reflections.
Watch this short video to get a preview of the project before diving into the insight!

Using the term “unnatural disasters” may be the best way to message extreme weather and climate impacts. The increase in extreme weather is making millions of Americans unsafe and jeopardizing the people and places that we hold dear. While the solutions are clear, the communication is more complicated than we often think. Using “unnatural disasters” as a concept turns the notion of “natural disasters” on its head and opens the door to conversations about the true cause: fossil fuels. A platform grounded in the notion of “unnatural disasters” boosted support for action on climate change by 10 percentage points overall (including 12 p.p. with Republicans, 8 p.p. with Democrats, and 7 p.p. with Independents). Through conversations with thousands of Americans and months of rigorous testing, Potential Energy found a messaging that simultaneously builds awareness for the problem and generates enthusiasm for the solutions. The phrase “unnatural disasters” was twice as effective at shifting the focus to fossil fuels than simply calling it “extreme weather.”

This study examines how different sources of corrective information may correct such misinformation from Republican elites who blame renewables for power grid failures.