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Effective Climate Advocacy in an Overly Politicized World

Effective Climate Advocacy in an Overly Politicized World. Alice.Madden@UCDenver.edu. Clean Energy Action January 17, 2013. The Timothy E. Wirth Chair. Appointed in January of 2011 following Gary Hart. WCS2: monthly meeting at the Wynkoop highlighting cutting edge

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Effective Climate Advocacy in an Overly Politicized World

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  1. Effective Climate Advocacy in an Overly Politicized World Alice.Madden@UCDenver.edu Clean Energy Action January 17, 2013

  2. The Timothy E. Wirth Chair Appointed in January of 2011 following Gary Hart. WCS2: monthly meeting at the Wynkoop highlighting cutting edge developments in sustainability. Next events are Feb 5 / Mar 12. The Wirth Chair Sustainability Awards: The 14th Annual will be in early June. Teach SPA Masters students: Political Advocacy. Environmental Literacy Plan & Report: middle/high school Combining STEM with experiential environmental-focused curriculums. Rocky Mtn Science & Sustainability Network (NSF) The Academy: increasing the # of college students, particularly minorities, who study sciences related to sustainability through place-based learning (Tetons). Global Women Scholars Network (primary investigator NSF) Rio+20: women’s retreat re networking; spoke at US Center (water/gender). On line class:Networking Women in Sustainability Science & Action. June Uganda Retreat: emerging leaders in east Africa. Educating the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards

  3. Know your Stuff www.world.org/weo/climate Lists top 100 CC sites www.skepticalscience.com “Skeptics vigorously criticize any evidence that supports man-made global warming and yet embrace any argument, op-ed, blog or study that purports to refute global warming.” Addresses 173 arguments. - It’s cold out. - It isn’t man made so there is nothing we can do. - Climategate proved its all a conspiracy. - CO2 limits will hurt the economy. Watch the movie Chasing Ice (take a skeptic!) www.spa.ucdenver.edu/wirthchair - LIKE the WC Facebook Page! Communicating Climate Science

  4. Know What’s at Stake Our Economic Security is tied to tourism: skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, rafting, scenic beauty…What we see already: Extreme weather events. Shorter/warmer winters in mtns; Earlier spring runoff; Erratic precipitation--more falling as rain; Higher temps & longer droughts; Increased # & intensity of wildfires. Some Like it Hot: Pine beetles; Whirling disease; West Nile virus; Heart worm in dogs/cats. Our Quality of Life is at Risk

  5. The Six Americas 16% = The Alarmed 29% = The Concerned 25% = The Cautious — on fence 13% = The Doubtful — all natural/nothing we can do 8% = The Disengaged 8% = The Dismissive — a Hoax (Iraq did have WMDs) Know your Audience Tony Leiserowitz’s researchYale Project on Climate Change Communication

  6. Cultural Cognition Worldviews Dan Kahan, Yale Law School Perception Key Low Risk High Risk Hierarchy Environment: climate, nuclear Gays military/gay parenting Abortion Gun Control Individualism Communitarianism Environment: climate, nuclear Gays military/gay parenting Abortion Gun Control Egalitarianism

  7. “Head-on attempts to persuade can sometimes trigger a backfire effect, where people not only fail to change their minds when confronted with the facts—they may hold their wrong views more tenaciously than ever.” Chris Mooney e.g. Iraq had WMDs

  8. “At myFACTS, we believe everyone is entitles to their own set of facts!” D Doonesbury by GB Trudeau

  9. Know your audience’s language Stability vs ChangeOrder vs ComplexityFamiliarity vs Novelty Conformity vs Creativity John Jost, NYUSystem Justifiers engage in motivated reasoning to defend their status quo.

  10. MESSAGE & MESSENGERClimate Instability/Disruption, Extreme Weather… -1300 counties have been declared national disaster areas due to drought. -Barges stuck on the Mississippi River. -Super Storm Sandy. -Tornados in the winter. -The price of homeowner’s insurance is rising.Home Grown Energy / Efficiency saves $ & keeps your $ local. Persuasive: Energy Independence. Economic Stability. National Security. The Pentagon calls climate change a destabilizing geopolitical force and a “threat enhancer.”My [trusted source:local meteorologist / uncle whose a farmer] says the climate is changing… WINNING HEARTS & MINDS using trusted messengers & stories they can relate to

  11. The Water / Energy Nexus“The Scientific evidence is clear –- the Earth’s climate is warming… In Colorado, temperatures increased by approximately 2°F between 1977 and 2006. These increasing temperatures affect the state’s water resources.” CWCBOur water resources will be increasingly stressed by a hotter and drier climate. We got a glimpse of that with this past summer's drought. And Colorado's population continues to grow (~8M by 2035), increasing the need for energy and competition for water. Head Waters: The Platte, Arkansas and Rio Grand rivers flow east; the over-appropriated Colorado flows west. Even in times of drought, we must meet our Compact commitments. In Colorado, coal plants consumed some 80,000 acre-feet of water for cooling in 2008 (could serve Boulder for 4 years or Denver for 4 months). Wind & PV solar use NO WATER Alice.Madden@UCDenver.edu

  12. CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR A STRONGER AMERICA

  13. Legislative AgendaDemocratic Governor (moderate)Job creation focused GEO now CEO - mission change & no ED appointed yetDemocratic House & Senate with new leadership Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (Maj. Ldr) Rep. Claire Levy (JBC; decent forecast)Enviro leaders: Sen. Gail Schwartz & Matt Jones; Rep. Max Tyler; Others?Bills Ideas: Solar Thermal std; Water conservation; Forest health; Energy Star Mortgage program (mortgage/refi discounts); Commercial PACE bill (Connecticut). Oil & gas; Cutting carbon emissions; Energy Efficiency; Alt. Fuel vehicles for state fleets required if pass lifecycle lowest cost test; *Adjustments in solar market (maybe at PUC); Pete Maysmith: www.conservationco.org 2013 General Assembly

  14. Four Discreet Credit Multipliers on RPS 1) Each eligible kW hr generated in-state can get 125% credit. 2) A community-based project: <30 MW, owned by individual residents or by an org controlled by residents, or by a local govt entity or tribal council -- can get 150% credit. 3) Solar electricity located in a coop or munie & begins operation before July 2015, can receive 300% credit. 4) <30 MW project installed on lines owned by a coop or munie before Dec. 2014 can get 200% credit (only on the 1st 100 MW of projects statewide.) Blending IOUs , non-IOUs & multipliers: total RE will only reach ~18% by 2020. www.dsireusa.org 2013 General Assembly

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