Global warming: frame it as bad for your health, not just for the planet

Earlier this week, NPR covered some recent research showing that people are more attentive to warnings about climate change when it’s portrayed as a health issue rather than as an environmental problem.

In case you missed it, the report says killer heat waves, asthma-inducing smog and new disease outbreaks like West Nile virus are problems that move people of all political persuasions.  And people respond positively to ideas that can improve those situations for themselves, their families and their communities.

This is an interesting insight for those working on the politically charged issue of climate change.  It also suggests that most universally persuasive spokespeople for the issue may be public health officials - rather than climate change scientists.

The report says that Matthew Nisbet of American University and his colleagues have found that “people who are indifferent, or even hostile, to climate change are more receptive to the issue when it’s talked about as a health issue.  It has far more appeal than when it’s framed as an environmental issue — or as a matter of national security… ‘Not only does it lead to emotionally engaging responses among a broad cross section of Americans, it also helps to localize the issue for people and to view the issue as more personally relevant,’ Nisbet says.”

For more on the findings, check out the NPR report and links here.

  • Comment: (5)