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Picture adaptation...
Posted by: Laurie Bennett
What's the brief for writing about climate change? Perhaps...
‘Get the message across about the gravity of climate change impacts (we need people to understand how bad it could be…), but inspire them that change is possible and the solutions are aspirational (…but don’t put them off)’
Simple.
Not quite, have a look at this article I’ve just read.
Now the Guardian does better than most on this; they are pioneering the media’s shift towards a refreshingly solutions-orientated perspective on climate change. That might be why today’s article tickled the pedant in me.
The gravity message comes across good and strong, and it’s nice to see a mention of adaptation. What interests me is the editor's choice of picture and caption to accompany the article. It illustrates the ‘catastrophic’ consequences of 4C more global warming with a rather pleasant looking Moroccan garden, which looks like it was captured artfully from the poolside of a 5-star Marrakech hotel.
If, like me, your garden consists of two tomato plants clinging to life on a window ledge, the image in the article makes climate change seem pretty aspirational. And that’s no good.
I guess this is the nub of the challenge that communicating on adaptation presents: we must persuade people to prepare for the inevitable, without suggesting it’ll all be ok when it happens.
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I guess the challenge then is a positive approach in preparing for the inevitable change. Otherwise there's a risk of despondency setting in...
Absolutely - balancing the gravity of the situation, with the optimism that we can make the change work. Not easy!