I was chatting with a scientist not long ago who was surprised to hear me call Greta Thunberg a science communicator. Say what?! She’s communicating the urgency of climate action and has galvanised an entire movement. The way she engages people is extraordinary.
Societal reaction to Greta has a lot of layers to it. She’s young, she’s female, she’s unrelenting. But disregarding Greta as a science communicator goes to the heart of the problem in science.
The scientist who doesn’t think Greta is communicating science (and I’m sure there are others who hold this opinion) has an outdated notion of what communication is. Many tend to stick to familiar and comfortable methods of communication, such as public relations, events, and student recruitment, without realising that these traditional approaches are no longer as effective as they once were. Communication is way more complex than it used to be, but many aren’t moving with the times.
This is a problem, and it’s holding science and society back.
Science communication at its very best creates action. If you want funding, political support, philanthropy, public action or behavioural change, you need to understand your audiences and meet them where they are. It’s not about you – it’s about your audience. This can be uncomfortable for many scientists, but it’s where science communicators thrive.
Most organisations don’t recognise just how critical communication is to science, and its why the most innovative communicators aren’t corporations or institutes: they’re individuals. Take the artist Ed Hawkins, for example, whose “climate stripes” visual made climate change data go viral. Physicist Becky Smethurst, doctor Fenwa Milhouse, social entrepreneur Thabiso Mashaba and educator, Vaishali Sharma and artist Anna Dumitriu show the incredible diversity and impact of modern science communication.
Inspiring me this week … Greta Thunberg
But back to Greta. She’s on my mind as I, like many of you, am grappling with the news of catastrophic wildfires in Greece and Algeria and with the dread of knowing what’s in store for Australia this summer. Hearing Antonio Guiterres say the Earth has entered an “era of global boiling” when we know it is avoidable, is tough to hear.
That’s why we need brilliant communicators like Greta.
Whether she’s sailing across the Atlantic on a carbon-neutral boat, collaborating with beloved documentarian Sir David Attenborough, or owning Andrew Tate on Twitter, Greta Thunberg is one of the most famous voices in climate activism today. Seeing her recent arrest at protests in Sweden, I’m impressed by her unflagging dedication to climate activism, her consistency in message, and her ability to be completely unflappable whilst being carried away by police.
But it’s also a reminder that for every Greta, there are so many teenage activists out there whose work isn’t covered in the Western press. From Kenya’s Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti – a youth climate activist and founder of Green Generation Initiative which is creating a generation of environmentally conscious – to the US’s teen inventor Neha Shukla, who is helping other teenagers learn to invent, there are so many incredible young people who are out there, changing the world. As Greta herself once said, she never intended to be the face of a movement – but as a bright and well-spoken young white woman, the amount of media attention she’s received is almost inevitable.
As science communicators, we have a real opportunity to make a difference and inspire young people through the stories we tell and the individuals we highlight.
So, who’s been inspiring you lately – or your kids? I’d love it if you dropped their names in the comments.
Tick tock, on the clock
Also this week, the Climate Clock – an 18-metre-tall digital clock in New York that counts down how much time the world has left to stop climate change from inflicting irreparable harm – ticked past a worrying milestone: we have fewer than six years left to limit emissions to the critical 1.5°C threshold. The Climate Clock’s founders, a team of leading climate scientists, held Climate Emergency Day events in five continents last week to call attention to the increasingly limited time left, including a vigil under the clock itself.
The Verge called it an “artsy form of activism”, comparing it to the famous Doomsday Clock. I can see the similarities, but the Climate Clock team has rallied a community that is creating some desperately needed urgency and pressure.
I think it’s a fantastic concept, but I do wonder if it’s contributing to climate pessimism. If the “Greta Thunberg effect” – a real scientific phenomenon! – describes how people familiar with her activism feel empowered to act themselves, does the Climate Clock make people feel disempowered? Or is it a clever way to channel anger against the climate crisis into community and action? What do you think?
We’re obsessed with… Texas Beesworks
I absolutely adore this Instagram account, which is run by Texas beekeeper Erika Thompson. She uses her un-bee-lievable skills to handle hives without any protective gear, sauntering through swarms without breaking a sweat.
She’s using her platform to promote awareness of bees and the critical role they play in the ecosystem – and at more than 1 million followers on Instagram and nearly 12 million on TikTok, she’s creating a real buzz!
Other news that caught my eye
- Falling Walls has announced its finalists – and a fellowship for international journalists
- What can we learn from rebranding coal as “eco-peas”?
- Barbie herself is a fan of Triple J’s Dr Karl
- And in cool ways to use AI this week… how about listening to a K-pop hit in 6 different languages?
Till next time!
Cheers,
Kylie
Opinion by Kylie Ahern, Publisher of The Brilliant and CEO of STEM Matters