Resource Type: Tips & How-Tos

We often hear about framing and message testing as one messenger communicating to one audience, but things  are rarely ever that simple. Instead, like the celebrated format of cable news pundit shows, the communication landscape usually consists of two sides talking against, over, and past each other. This week’s alert digs into the true contested nature of framing and  some tips on  how to use  counterframing  for more effective engagement. 

Last week, the Lab hosted a Peer Learning Exchange on communicating with conservatives. We had a lively conversation with panelists from Environmental Defense Fund, Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, and more. We covered a lot of ground, but if you missed it, don’t fret! We have the recording along with the accompanying slide decks here*. To stay on theme, we thought this would be a great opportunity to revisit the Lab’s learnings and best practices on how to effectively communicate with conservatives and Republicans on climate and clean energy.

Results from the latest run of our Climate & Clean Energy Tracking Poll are out! The survey of 2,662 (self-reported) registered voters in Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio found concern about climate around all-time highs, polarization of confidence in federal climate action, and remarkably steady Republican attitudes. Check out the deck*, or watch the webinar recording*.
This wave of the Tracking Poll was fielded from July 30-Aug. 2, 2018 in cooperation with the Climate and Clean Energy Polling Consortium (CCEPC) and Climate Nexus; it is the latest in the semi-annual surveys going back to November 2014. The goal has been to monitor shifts in beliefs and attitudes over time across five key states where the climate advocacy community is focusing substantial public engagement work.

In 2016, Donald Trump received 62% of the “rural vote” (more than any other recent Republican candidate) prompting debate over the rural-urban divide and how it had created both a distinct “rural consciousness” and “politics of resentment” in rural communities.
These divisions have carried over to attitudes about climate change and clean energy, where rural areas are less likely to see climate change as a threat* or support action to address it* than are voters in urban and suburban areas. And yet, rural communities have long been the birthplace of rad, progressive organizing efforts, and a number of recent initiatives aim to bridge some of these divisions*, better understand the needs of rural communities, and marshal sorely-needed resources* to build civil infrastructure.*
What are we learning? What are the implications for our climate and clean energy work? Grab some sweet tea because in this week’s alert, we are doing a deep dive into it all!

While Rudy Giuliani’s “truth isn’t truth” comment might go down as one of the worst legal defense lines, it may include a small (probably unintentional) nugget of truth in terms of how people process political information.
Communicating on climate change and clean energy can be a juggling act of different facts, figures, messages, and messengers. But what information is likely to stick, and why? This week’s alert reviews the social science literature on “political cognition” – i.e., how people think about politics – and examines how organizations can apply those insights when engaging supporters and external audiences.

In just under a month, the Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice march, the Global Climate Action Summit, and the Solidarity-to-Solutions Week (Sol2Sol) are coming to the Bay Area (!!!). In this week’s alert, we review recommendations from other major climate moments, mobilizations, and marches to encourage Lab members to proactively implement best practices for public engagement around these events. We’re also including a special spin on our events section to highlight a (not at all exhaustive) list of events that members of the Lab community are involved in or may find of particular interest in and around the Global Climate Action Summit.

Moments can lead to movements. We’ve seen as much from #MeToo, #MarchForOurLives and #KeepFamiliesTogether, all of which began with or were drastically accelerated by an event or series of events. And while the next IPCC report won’t instantaneously capture as much of the nation’s attention as those movements had, we too have our climate moments. This week’s alert walks through how we can best seize those moments and turn them into something bigger.