Lessons from the Field

From the Paris accord to Keystone XL’s rejection to record-breaking weather, it was a major year for climate change. Here are five important voices that influenced the climate conversation in 2015, helping change policy, culture and the way we communicate.

Climate Access asked a handful of climate leaders to reflect on the most significant developments and important lessons of the past year when it comes to engaging audiences on climate change, as well as their views on the greatest opportunities and challenges in 2015. 

From rural farming communities in Australia to Indigenous communities in the United States and urban groups in the United Kingdom, many different people are coming together to protect their land, their water and their property.

In April, the U.S. drought monitor update announced that 100% of the state of California is currently in drought.

What do you consider to be this year's most significant development this year in engaging the public on climate? What is the most important lesson relating to climate outreach that you've learned in 2013? What do you think will be the biggest challenge to building public support for climate action in 2014? 

We are exploring to what extent extreme weather events can serve as lasting climate wake-up calls. In advance of Monday’s roundtable "A Year Later: Assessing the Lasting Impact of Hurricane Sandy and Others Extreme Weather Events on Climate Engagement” we asked Climate Access members: “In your experience, how much of a game-changer can a single extreme weather event be in terms of public attitudes and engagement on climate? If you work in a region that has been hit by an extreme weather event (flood, hurricane, wildfire etc), please share how it affected views and actions on climate, including any engagement strategies that helped.”

As a companion to the recent Climate Access training session on Using the Six Americas Segmentation, we asked our members to share the main lesson they've learned from trying to target specific audiences in their climate work and to share experiences using segmentation systems such as 6 Americas. Here is what some of them had to say: 

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Climate Access members have been doing everything from rallying parent groups to envisioning a carbon-neutral New York City to demonstrating how Sandy fits into the larger trend. 

Last week, we laid out out the case for nixing the polar bear as the face of climate disruption and put out a call for ideas and images on how to put a human face on the issue. Here is what Climate Access members and others had to say (and show).