Ask George - 21 Nov 2017 - Carbon Neutral University Network

Ask George - 21 Nov 2017

18/11/2017

George has to leave very soon after the 'Climate Change Communication' workshop on 21 November 2017 and asked for a way he maybe able to answer questions while he is back on the train.

So we thought to try out the communication functionality of our website to do just that.

You can ask your question below (Click on 'Comments' to access) and George will be trying to reply depending on the numbers of questions and time available.

11 Comments

CNU moderator link

20/11/2017 09:38:02

Please post your questions by clicking on 'Leave a Reply' below.

CNU moderator

20/11/2017 09:41:09

This is where the answer from George will appear, and if you entered your email and clicked on 'notify me below' you will be emailed his answer or you can check it on this page.

Tim Allen link

20/11/2017 14:47:03

Hi George

Avoiding flying and travelling overland is something I have felt strongly about for a number of years, but have never been sure how to tackle with friends and family - especially as it seems to be many environmentalists' biggest vice!

My partner and I have recently taken a sabbatical from work and completed a 13-month around-the-world loop overland. I had hoped that news of this adventure might magically lead to people in our circles hearing our example and being inspired to fly less themselves! But of course no such magic has occurred.

I've seen you talk before about using the "Power of I..." but I'm not sure how best to use it, or which angle to take, so I tend to bottle it and just say "enjoy your holiday"!

So... Should I use our "Big Trip" as an inspiring example, or is that too big to be motivating?
OR Should I give non-moral, practical advice such as "France eh? Did you know you can take the train?" (even though it's more expensive & longer!),
OR Should I simply leave personal experience aside, push through the discomfort of talking in moral terms and go with general "I believe it's important not to fly because of its impact on climate change" type statements?

Thanks!

George

20/11/2017 22:28:47

wow- that is such a major trip. But you are right- it is a different category from someone going for a weekend break. But it is also inspiring and fun which creates a good conversation. So I think my advice, as usual would be to own your values. If someone talks of their trip you can say "we are not happy flying because of climate change and we just did a big trip ...[story]". Increasingly my position on lifestyle generally is one of mindfulness...I do fly sometimes, almost always for work, but I do not do so lightly and every time consider whether I can justify the impacts against my principles. I think the best practice to model for other people is not "no-never" which is too absolutely but one of mindfulness. Which might in
you case lead to never, but allows people some leaway.
George

Kristina Diprose link

20/11/2017 14:51:33

Many campaigners and public figures use the lens of the family to encourage others to act on climate change (e.g. Barack Obama “we can leave behind a world that is worthy of our children.” Prince Charles “think of your grandchildren, the same as I think of mine.”). Whilst this humanises the future, is family the right focus? You've written about how people see climate change as a problem for 'them, there and then' - does thinking about familial generations help us to overcome this, or is it part of the problem? How else might environmental campaigners talk about intergenerational justice?

George

20/11/2017 22:32:45

Thanks Kristina- I will address this in my talk. I think the family focus is problematic. Of course it works well for the already convinced but there is no evidence that it increases engagement with the unengaged. So it becomes a confirmation narrative not a conversion narrative. And there is some evidence that people react against it. If it is coming in a sincere way from a personal conviction "I do this for my chldren" then it might be good- if you like and trust the communicator. If it is a theme for an inauthentic communicator (such as an adversiting campaign) it will probably fail.

Kristina Diprose link

21/11/2017 13:04:30

Thanks George - I likewise worry that the family focus is problematic, interesting to hear that there is no evidence for its effectiveness in engaging people who are unengaged. I look forward to hearing further reflections on this in your talk.

Jenny Patient

20/11/2017 23:29:53

Hi George,
I think the work you've done about speaking to the centre right is very important, and I've seen it used to good effect by Hope for the Future, for example. However, my project is working with trade unionists, who I would expect to have a belief in social justice and that the government should support infrastructure that benefits those less well off. Do you have particular learnings about talking to the centre left that I could learn from? It seems their values are very compatible with climate action, but do you have any warnings for me?

Kristina Diprose link

21/11/2017 13:09:21

Hi George,
I hope I am not being too greedy in asking a 2nd question!
As part of a recent research project on 'intergenerational justice, consumption and sustainability', I interviewed many older people in Sheffield whose lived experience of urban environmental change is largely positive as a result of deindustrialisation. For example, they talked about how the smog has gone, and how fish have come back to the rivers. How do we address the disconnect between the ‘global gaze’ of climate science, a story of environmental degradation that demands urgent action, and perceptions that the local environment is much improved?

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Ask George - 21 Nov 2017

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