Messaging Forest Protection In An Era of Global Warming
Like more intense hurricanes and more extreme drought, longer, hotter fire seasons are part of life on our warming globe. While climate change is increasingly seen as a driver of large uncontrolled fires, it’s easy to get cross-wise with messaging when you try and address wildfire and global warming in the same sentence. With support from Wilburforce Foundation, Resource Media has produced the memo “Messaging Forest Protection In An Era of Global Warming”, intended to provide advice to public lands advocates on this potentially hazardous intersection.
Messaging Forest Protection In An Era of Global Warming
Summary
Few stories dominate headlines and TV cameras like a forest fire. When summer gets hot, fires burn and the media can’t get enough roaring flames, swooping retardant planes and grubby firefighters in yellow shirts. For conservationists working to protect forests or working to stop global warming, the frame of fire season offers both opportunity – and peril – for advocating progressive policies.
The science is clear: human pollution is warming the globe. As the globe heats up, we can expect longer, hotter and more intense fire seasons. But as is often the case, public opinion lags behind science. Plus, people are by nature often shortsighted and quicker to focus on immediate threats over those that seem more distant.
Social scientists have given us important tools for crafting persuasive communication strategies, both to protect forests and to educate people about the perils of global warming. But these strategies can diverge, and too often one can undermine the other.
Download the full "Messaging Forest Protection in an Era of Global Warming" document now.
