Four tips to write professionally about climate change
When it comes to climate change, there’s a lot of information out there. But how do you cut through the noise and effectively write about this complex topic? This article will help you get started.
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Last weekend, I attended a workshop on how to write effectively about climate change in Ferrara. A tall man with shining brown eyes and a Roman accent was chairing the exercise. Mr Stefano Liberti is one of Italy’s most authoritative journalists writing about climate change. He is the author of the investigative book “Terra Bruciata” and of Soyalism, an award-winning documentary. Mr Liberti spent three mornings sharing his perspectives on the role of climate change in today’s journalism and advising how to make it better.
The timing was ideal as COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh is around the corner and I was lucky enough to win a pass for the blue zone (oh, yes!). So what was the main take away? Climate change is the “big missing” in contemporary journalism. Why? There are several reasons and here we investigate the main four.
First thing first, articles about climate change are too often dry and anonymous. Data shared are cold and unfamiliar to the general public. Instead, it is important to give them a “face”, to use them in an emotional way that resonates with the readers and emphasises with them. In simple, there needs to be an emotional protagonist.
Second, the journalist often leaves their audience feeling anxious. Instead of describing a scenario where everything falls apart in an already chaotic world- journalists should end their pieces describing solutions to climate change or interviewing experts who are working on some. This completely swaps the readers’ feelings as it shows a way out of the doom and gloom scenario. Some people name it “intentional journalism” as it demonstrates that the author cares about the emotional effect that his work triggers. In short, not just complain but also proposals.
Third, climate change is often describes as too distant, both spatially and temporarily. We prompted reacted to the covid-19 pandemic because it was an urgent matter that could affect us in our daily life. Here and now – no time to lose. It should be the same for climate change. The readers should be able to immediately understand “Why is it relevant to me?” And connect it to objects, people, or situations close to them. Considering the extremely hot temperatures of this summer, and low precipitation rates this shouldn’t be a hurdle. Briefly, make it relevant to the reader.
Fourth, climate change has become just another “background noise”. Since the ascent of my favourite Greta (already four years ago!), climate change has been abused so much that we no longer pay attention to it. It is a bit like that light in your office that keeps buzzing. At first it really bothers you, after a while you simply ignore it. So what? It is necessary to find new angles to talk about climate change: they should surprise the author himself at first and overcome the “background noise”. We need a bit of Maneskin in here.
If you like writing, take advantage of Mr Liberti’s inputs. If you are a reader, keep these points in mind next time you bump into an article on climate change. And don’t miss to check out Caldo in the coming weeks. COP27 will begin in exactly one month. I am fully back and I will be on the side to tell you every twist and turn of the African conference. My goal? Trying to convert the “big missing” into the “ main protagonist”. Ma'a El Salama.
