2 days agoIs the Climate Organization Dead?Perhaps this is a cry of existential frustration, but I belong to half a dozen climate non-profits, and I’m noticing a pattern. The pattern could best be called climate atherosclerosis. A hardening of the arteries that may precede death. Or it might just be the cynicism of my old age…Climate Change7 min readClimate Change7 min read
Oct 19What Climate Activists Miss — The Myth of the FunnelWould you show up for a first date with a ring, a proposal for marriage, and your parents in tow? Of course not. But that’s what a lot of climate activists and communication professionals do by mistake. I was talking to the director of a Minnesota climate organization the other…Climate Change6 min readClimate Change6 min read
Aug 27The Role of Anger in Climate ActivismWhy does ExxonMobil get to determine the fate of your kids, family and community? Does this piss you off? Then, I’ll get to it in a moment. I want to tell a story first. I was talking to a new member of a climate group recently and asked him why…Climate Change6 min readClimate Change6 min read
Aug 9We’re Losing the Climate War to Fossil Fuel Corporations and Republican Extremists, and We Don’t Even Know ItAccording to Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the of the Yale Project of Climate Communication, “We are in a propaganda war with the fossil fuel industry, but we aren’t even on the battlefield.” To which I will add, that we don’t even know we’re in a war, or if we do…Climate Change7 min readClimate Change7 min read
Aug 9Dancing in the GladeOnce when I was hiking in the gloaming, down from the mountain where the stars begin in the vault above. Once when I descended into the forest, and the moon rose over the glade, and the night hawks pealed against the fading light. Once when I was young and the…Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Jul 19It’s Hot! So What?No, this isn’t a post about climate denialism. I’m a climate activist, and I read a lot of posts and statements like the following. We are facing the hottest years in the history of mankind. 50 million Americans are under a heat advisory. Extreme heat is killing people around the…Climate Change4 min readClimate Change4 min read
Jul 3An Alarming Trend in EVs According to the MediaI read eclectically, occasionally deeply, but most often just skim headlines to see what interests me. It seems to me that 95% of the message of an article is often hidden in the title. The message is different than the title. That’s a problem because we don’t have the time…Climate Change4 min readClimate Change4 min read
Jun 2The Tragedy of Posting About Climate Calamity of Social Media…And What You Can Do About It. Two wind turbines were walking across a field when one said to the other, “Say, what kinda music do you like?” The other wind turbine replied, “I’m a big metal fan….” In 2023, one third of energy generated in Minnesota came from renewables…Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Apr 24Seven Questions To Ask Our Climate MessagesIf our climate message(s) were succeeding, then why are we still facing a climate crisis future without more action? Why does Exxon Mobile still get to determine the fate of our children? Why is there a backlash against renewables all across our country? …Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Mar 10Book Review: The Activist’s Media Handbook — Lessons from Fifty Years as a Progressive AgitatorDavid Fenton’s new book is a must read for any climate justice activist or climate communications professional under the age of 40. For anyone over that age, it is also a delightfully raucous walk through the history of liberal movements when activism was fun. …Climate Change3 min readClimate Change3 min read