A brand new comedy project by which leading comedians and climate scientists present an modern way of communicating the climate crisis.
“If people like me have to get involved in this, then we’re in deep shit,” says Jo Brand, famous British comedian and host of The Great British Bake Off. Why? Because she joined the ranks of other outstanding comedians similar to Nish Kumar, Kiri Pritchard-McLeanAND Jonathan Pie IN Climate science translateda project that translates complex climate science into accessible and entertaining content to encourage tens of millions of individuals to take motion.
Even though climate change exists best threat ever faced by humanity, research conducted by the Climate Science Breakthrough team shows that only 2% of the population can name a climate scientist. Almost everyone knows Jo Brand. Getting famous comedians to translate climate scientists’ statements in a funny, ironic and sometimes blunt way makes science rather more accessible.
And it really works. Research shows that humor can be a tool for transformation science communication and have a positive impact on people’s understanding of climate change. So far my video with Jo Brand it has been viewed over 3 million times and gained mainstream attention, with stars including Ellie Goulding, Gary Lineker, Rainn Wilson and Thom Yorke retweeting the videos. Each time he conveys this core message to a wider audience.
It also works because comedians can say things that scientists can’t – they can swear, for instance. Jo asked me within the chat after the fundamental video: “Is it time for scientists to be able to swear if the situation is so bad?” My answer, which can be present in the video clip below, isn’t any. Because society expects scientists to be calm, rational and stick to the facts – as soon as we “become human”, we lose credibility. So in some ways Jo Brand is the human side of me that’s screaming at everyone to do something, now!
The video premiere also attracted attention Good morning, Britannia – Jo Brand and I were invited to appear on the show. Susanna Reed asked me why I did it agreed to make the film with Jo Brand. My answer was easy: “Without the wonderful Jo Brand, would I be on national breakfast television discussing climate change?”
Celebrities have access to a much wider audience than scientists. Imagine Taylor Swift dating a climate scientist and never an American football player.
Later that morning, TV presenters Susanna Reed and Richard Medley asked British Environment Secretary Steve Barclay one among my questions: “Why has the government granted new oil and gas licenses when we already have enough reserves to warm the climate well above 2˚C?” Since the brand new licenses is not going to be valid for ten to 15 years and could have no impact on global costs, consumers will proceed to face very high energy prices.
No wonder he dodged the query – however it was asked on breakfast TV because I used to be in a comedy video.
Finding a funny one
Comic Relief is an ideal example of how effective comedy can be. In 2022, it reached a milestone of raising over £1.5 billion to support people world wide by harnessing the ability of comedy. It now stands out as a calendar moment in British culture.
In politics, comedy is utilized in a mostly satirical way to engage public opinion, proving its power. Spitting Image and The Thick Of It crystallized the essence of up to date politics in people’s minds.
Jo Brand’s involvement within the climate comedy project means a big increase within the variety of stars who’re sounding the alarm concerning the deepening environmental crisis. Others include Kevin McCloud, Mary Portas, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Chris Packham who’ve appeared on Channel 4 programs climate emergency season last yr. Even William Shatneroriginal Captain James T. Kirk added his voice, saying that we must act now to save our planet.
This trend signals a growing urgency and recognition of the climate crisis across sectors of society. A mixture of humor and science demystifies complex environmental issues, making them more accessible to on a regular basis audiences. Highlights the ability of comedy to create change and lift awareness, presenting an efficient strategy for tackling one among today’s most vital challenges and another to the direct motion activism of Just Stop Oil and other groups.
The irony, as Jo Brand would say, is that we’ve got all of the solutions at our fingertips. Renewable energy is cheaper, safer, cleaner and safer than fossil fuels. However, on a worldwide scale, according to the International Monetary Fund, we’ve got subsidized using fossil fuels by approx $7 trillion (£5.5 trillion) in 2023 – USD 2 trillion greater than within the previous yr. As Brand said, “even the dinosaurs didn’t finance their own extinction.”
That’s why comedy videos encourage everyone to step up and put pressure on governments to make urgent changes, ending with a call to ban latest investment in fossil fuels and the rallying cry: “All hands on deck.”
Even the COP28 climate summit, held in the key petrostate of the United Arab Emirates, called for a transition away from fossil fuels. But we’re not moving fast enough. And why should billions of individuals suffer simply because just a few people and countries want to make huge profits by selling us polluting fossil fuels? It’s just not funny.
