The Climate Propagandist

The 10 C’s of Climate Memes — How they’re shifting the culture of sustainability, inspiring collective action, and building solidarity 🤳 In collaboration with Maxine Touchette Julie Mallat and Justin Cook, we explored how humour, satire, and clever commentary in memes provoke emotional responses, and here’s what we found: 1. CLARITY ✨: Memes simplify complex climate issues, making them easy to understand. 2. CIRCULATION 🔄: Their shareable nature spreads climate messages quickly and widely. 3. CONNECTION 💚: Humor and satire make climate issues personal, driving reflection and action. 4. COMFORT 🗣️: Humor creates safer spaces for open dialogue around sensitive topics. 5. COMMUNITY 🌍: Memes bring people together, building solidarity around climate goals. 6. CRITIQUE 🔍: They challenge societal norms, prompting us to reassess our behaviors. 7. CONTEXT 📰: Memes tied to current events make climate conversations timely and relevant. 8. CALLS TO ACTION 📞: Some memes urge direct action—protests, petitions, and sustainable habits. 9. CODED MESSAGING 🧩: Sarcasm in memes conveys deeper meaning, often bypassing algorithms. 10. CULTURE 🎨: Memes empower grassroots movements to reshape sustainability and challenge power. Who else loves using or sharing #climatememes as part of their online creative activism? Image: @climate_memewashing

Hurricanes like #Milton and #Helene aren’t natural disasters—they're corporate-engineered catastrophes, fueled by the same industries profiting from our destruction 🌪️⛈️ Here are 3 ways to shift the narrative and cut through fossil fuel propaganda that shields polluters from accountability 👇 1️⃣ Stop calling them "natural" disasters 🌪️ Calling these disasters “natural” hides the role of oil and gas companies. This language lets polluters avoid responsibility and reparations to affected communities. 💬 Xiye Bastida (Re-Earth Initiative): “Instead of calling them natural disasters we should call them fossil fuel disasters.” 2️⃣ Name and shame the polluters 📛 Labeling hurricanes after the corporations responsible can force a public reckoning and counter fossil fuel companies’ false narratives. 💬 Margaret Klein Salamon (Climate Emergency Fund): “Any kind of extreme weather should be named after the fossil fuel companies. It’s a brilliant way to bypass media silence and denial, and get the message to the public.” 3️⃣ Expose the funding hypocrisy 💸 Hurricanes are fueled by deliberate political choices. While the U.S. government spends billions arming Israel, it continues its climate-destructive policies and neglects providing adequate aid for disaster victims. 💬 Jewish Voice for Peace: “Every dollar that the US spends on genocide in Palestine cannot be used to protect our own communities.” #hurricane #climatecrisis #climatecommunications

🎢 Can satire get any better than Ogilvyland?🎢 We loved how Clean Creatives recently called out fossil fuel agencies in their “F-List” Awards — and now Ogilvyland.com is taking it to new heights (quite literally). Ogilvy, the PR powerhouse known for crafting the Beyond Petroleum rebrand and coining the concept of the “carbon footprint,” is still helping the biggest names in oil and gas—BP, American Petroleum Institute, TotalEnergies, and Peabody—greenwash their image 👹 🎡 Ogilvyland brilliantly exposes this through an ABSURD theme park attraction. It’s a bold, creative, and highly contagious campaign that exposes the agencies still working for oil and gas. From a psychological standpoint, this name-and-shame approach is incredibly clever 🧠 The human mind is wired to respond to humour, even when the truth is uncomfortable. By framing Ogilvy’s fossil fuel clients as carnival attractions — Coalmine Mountain, Pipeline Plunge, Woody’s Woodland Fire Rescue — this campaign hits us where it hurts: the absurdity of how we’ve normalized the PR machine behind climate destruction ⚙️🧨 This campaign goes beyond satire — it holds a mirror to the entire advertising industry, and the reflection is ugly 🫣🪞 It asks the question we all should be asking: why are agencies like Ogilvy still propping up fossil fuel companies, masking their actions with glossy campaigns and empty buzzwords like "net-zero"? Absolute genius work by Oli Frost Mike Andrews Edie Gill-Holder Ruth Newton Jamie Inman from Serious People #fossilfuels #greenwashing #climatecommunications

Great minds meet in NYC! 🧠 A big appreciation post for these two incredible women who just wrapped up Climate Week👇 Maxine Touchette has been my creative partner and unwavering support at The Climate Propagandist for almost a year now, making climate communications smarter, sharper and, dare I say, cooler 💅 From deep dives into research to whip-smart social media content (and a meme game that’s hard to beat), she’s been the creative engine behind so much of what we do. Maxine was our boots on the ground at NYC Climate Week and did an outstanding job! 🗽 I’m proud to work alongside such a brilliant mind and can’t wait for the day we finally snap that long-overdue photo together too 📸 Gunjan Nanda has been my partner since my very first days in Dubai, and together we’ve built Dubai Climate Collective from the ground up, a community initiative that brings climate advocates in the UAE together to shape new paths forward 🤝 Not stopping there, we co-created Chatty Changemakers, a card game designed to turn climate conversation from daunting to dynamic 🎲 Gunjan’s energy is boundless, taking our work from Dubai to Bangkok to NYC! She’s a powerhouse in every sense of the word, and I’m grateful to call her a friend and collaborator. Huge congratulations to both for making #NYCClimateWeek such a success! Everyone deserves to have a Maxine or Gunjan in their life — though I’m not sure the world is ready for two of each 🌎

🍯 Knowledge Nuggets from NYC Climate Week #5 Every year during NYC Climate Week, activists flock to the Climate Clock, a giant reminder in Union Square of how little time we have left to prevent climate catastrophe. It’s striking, undeniable, and yes, powerful. But is it the symbol we need right now? Where the clock strikes right 👇 💰 In the heart of NYC’s high-capitalist bubble, the clock forces those immersed in the business-as-usual mindset to confront the urgency of the climate crisis. ⏳ It simplifies complex data—like temperature rises and carbon budgets—into something universally understood: time. 👩⚖️ Research from the journal Environmental Communication shows that deadline-driven messaging increases the perceived threat of climate change and support for urgent government action (read more: https://lnkd.in/dspb55da) Where the clock falls short 👇 ☯️ It promotes an 'all-or-nothing' mindset: fix climate change by this deadline, or we're doomed, leaving no room for the nuanced, ongoing battle. 🦭 It risks creating a last-minute mentality, encouraging people to wait rather than act, leading to paralysis rather than mobilisation. Climate deadlines should drive extraordinary action, not feed defeatism. What’s your take — do you think the Climate Clock serves as an effective tool for public engagement? Why or why not? *** P.S. This wraps up our last Knowledge Nugget of #NYCClimateWeek! But the work doesn’t stop here. Follow The Climate Propagandist as we continue sharing fresh, unconventional ways to communicate the climate crisis 🔦

🍯 Knowledge Nuggets from NYC Climate Week #4 In the climate crisis, influencers wield immense power—not just in marketing products, but in shaping the very ideas that dictate our actions. Dr. Grace Nosek's workshop “Rewriting Climate Narratives” highlighted a crucial insight: 💬 “What we believe to be true shapes our actions more than the actual truth.” Stories shape our reality. But a pressing question arises: which narratives will prevail, and who are the influencers that will drive them? 📱💻📺 Here’s how the battle of influencers unfolds: 👹 On one side, we have the “poisoned” narratives from the fossil fuel industry—stories steeped in fatalism, doomism, and apocalypse that breed apathy and despair. 🫀 On the other side, we have the uplifting narratives from youth advocates—stories filled with possibility, hope, empathy, and creative activism that challenge the status quo. Choose your fighter! 🥊 When confronted with a piece of communication about climate, ask yourself: whose agenda does this story serve? Is this narrative empowering change or perpetuating despair? *** P.S. The Climate Propagandist is always on the lookout for unconventional and fresh ways to communicate the climate crisis. Follow along as we bring back the best of climate comms learnings from #NYCClimateWeek! 🔦 #ClimateCommunications

🍯 Knowledge Nuggets from NYC Climate Week #3 At today’s 'Art of Impact' event, we explored the deep connections between art, propaganda, and cultural change. One figure I had to bring up was Walter Benjamin — a key thinker on how art shapes political movements 🖼️ 🎭 In his groundbreaking 1936 work, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Benjamin explains how, when reproduced on a mass scale, art becomes intertwined with politics. ✍️ He wrote: “In the age of mechanical reproduction, the distinction between art and political propaganda becomes blurred. The masses, who have become spectators of art, are no longer passive; they can be mobilized.” This is crucial for #climateactivism. Content that is produced, reproduced, and widely shared can become a tool of mass persuasion. We need to aestheticize the climate movement—turning our messages into art that mobilizes at scale. Now, the challenges ahead: • Can we democratise creation through AI? 🤖 (Lisa Russell) • Can we outcompete the currency of attention? 👀 (Paul Goodenough) • Can we leverage the power of culture and social proof? 🌍 (Ian Stanton) A lot to think about moving forward! 💭 *** P.S. The Climate Propagandist is always on the lookout for unconventional and fresh ways to communicate the climate crisis. Follow along as we bring back the best of climate comms learnings from #NYCClimateWeek! 🔦 #ClimateCommunications

Hey LinkedIn friends 👋 Just a friendly reminder that our awesome Marketing and Content Strategist, Maxine Touchette, will be speaking later today at the The Oxygen Project’s panel “Change-Makers Shaping a Regenerative Future” for #NYCClimateWeek! She’ll be on stage with some incredible leaders: Vasser Seydel and Cid-Marie Rosario from The Oxygen Project, and Bodhi Patil, ocean warrior and Founder of InnerLight 🎤 Don’t miss out—grab your ticket here: https://lu.ma/l6yx91ka 📹 Max at the Green Jobs Board booth with the LinkedIn team 👀

🍯 Knowledge Nuggets from NYC Climate Week #2 Here’s a surprising takeaway from Futerra’s storytelling panel: your story doesn’t need to be ABOUT climate change to drive climate action. Here’s how👇 Dr. Anirudh Tiwathia from Rare’s Entertainment Lab highlighted that even brief, casual integrations of climate messaging in everyday films and shows can shift perceptions and drive action. Yes, you read that right—climate storytelling doesn’t always need to take center stage. 🎞️ Take Don't Look Up, for example—its allegory wasn’t explicitly about climate change, yet it significantly increased viewers' concern for the planet and desire for action. Staci Roberts-Steele, co-producer of Don’t Look Up and Managing Director of Yellow Dot Studios, added that while full-length climate-focused films are impactful, there’s an untapped opportunity in short-form content. By using quick, digestible pieces, we can reach diverse audiences and test out different approaches to spark change 🤳 🧠 Think of it this way: casual integrations of climate action in entertainment could be one of the most powerful tools we have to create change at scale. Imagine the ripple effect if this approach were applied across media consistently. We absolutely DO need more documentaries, but we also need MORE climate moments in mainstream content. That’s where the magic happens 🪄 *** P.S. The Climate Propagandist is always on the lookout for unconventional and fresh ways to communicate the climate crisis. Follow along as we bring back the best of climate comms learnings from #NYCClimateWeek! 🔦 #ClimateCommunications

🍯 Knowledge Nuggets from NYC Climate Week #1 The kickoff to #NYCW brought a powerful insight from Climate-KIC CEO Kirsten Dunlop: “Our challenge is a deficit of imagination.” But how do we fill that void in imagination? 🪩 The climate crisis is often framed through a dystopian lens, trapping us in a cycle of fear and paralysis. What we need is to shift away from these ‘Black Mirror’-like narratives and start telling diverse stories of hope and possibility. As Futerra CEO Lucy Shea also pointed out we need messy utopias, character-led stories, and diverse perspectives. These are the antidotes to the one-dimensional, bleak storylines we're all too familiar with. 🐝 To create change, we must adopt a 'White Mirror' mindset: remixing existing cultural narratives of doom into stories that illustrate a future where justice, equity, and sustainability are not only possible but inevitable. *** P.S. The Climate Propagandist is always on the lookout for unconventional and fresh ways to communicate the climate crisis. Follow along as we bring back the best of climate comms learnings from #NYCClimateWeek! 🔦 #ClimateCommunications