Climate Media Centre
When it comes to climate change, if we want our leaders to make good decisions and take more ambitious action, then the public must be perceived as wanting change. After all, politicians only aim as high as we demand they do. Wedged between politicians and the public is the media, which is where the Climate Media Centre (CMC) comes in. As Australia’s go-to bureau for climate stories, they connect journalists with more than 5,000 trained climate spokespeople, driving a constant drumbeat of media stories which reinforce the message that climate change is an urgent priority, while simultaneously socialising the solutions needed and holding decision makers accountable.
The CMC is a 2023 Groundswell grant winner. In this interview, we speak to Danielle Veldre, Director of the Climate Media Centre.
CMC spokesperson Anneliese Alexander and family prepare to go live on the Today Show to talk about their EV road trip.
Climate change is not a scientific problem - it’s a political problem, which is another way of saying it’s about who can tell the most powerful story. How does this play out in the CMC’s strategy?
The range of policy options available to any politician are shaped by ideas, social movements and shared norms and values within society. Other policy ideas exist, but politicians risk losing popular support if they champion these ideas.
As former journalists, we work alongside a diverse range of trusted messengers whose voices resonate with the public (such as firefighters, farmers and doctors) to elevate climate solutions in the media and public conversation. All of our spokespeople have unique lived experiences and powerful stories to tell, and our strategy revolves around how we can use our media skills, knowledge and connections to elevate these stories in the national conversation. Through enabling these spokespeople to reach their peers through the media tens of thousands of times we gradually shift the spectrum of policies considered acceptable by the general public, and ultimately create an environment where more ambitious climate action becomes politically desirable and possible.
These influential human stories are especially crucial in undermining well-resourced scare campaigns and counter advocacy, which we frequently see launched in the media by large commercial entities who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo!
What are some of the big stories the CMC has focused on this year?
In 2023 the CMC spokespeople reached millions of Australians in 15,000 media items (the equivalent to annual coverage for a large not-for-profit), describing the urgent need for action on climate change from various points of view, from parents, to energy finance experts, to renters.
With cost of living remaining the number one concern for Australians, our top priority has been finding ways to keep elevating climate as a key issue, as well as creating fresh ways to highlight the financial benefits of climate action (and costs of inaction). A key project to address this has been our collaboration with the Queensland Conservation Council (QCC), Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS) and Solar Citizens to convene the ‘Power Together’ coalition, and produce a report demonstrating the benefits that renewable energy can bring to all Australians, particularly those struggling to pay ever-increasing electricity prices.
CMC spokesperson Dr Dean Miller fronting national media to explain how we can save the Great Barrier Reef.
This year we’ve seen a movement-wide push to remove the social license the fossil fuel industry has built up for itself over many decades. Why is this an important focus and how is the CMC working on this?
While those within the climate and environment movement have a strong, negative perception of fossil fuel corporations, across the broader Australian community there remains a degree of general goodwill, built on factors such as their perceived contribution to employment and their roles in philanthropic endeavours (such as sponsorships of Australia’s beloved sports, arts and public institutions).
The CMC is uniquely positioned to support the media (and thereby the public) to recognise that fossil fuel companies are greenwashing their public image and are a major social ill, pushing products that are dangerous, polluting and expensive. In May the CMC worked hand-in-hand with the Climate Council to launch the Fossil Fuel Free Sponsorship Code: Calling Time, which asked sporting organisations to reject sponsorship from fossil fuel companies and framed fossil fuel sponsorship in the same undesirable category as tobacco products. With support from the CMC and its network of spokespeople, Climate Council generated 552 hits on the launch – including securing coverage in several target publications which reach conservative audiences – such as The Australian, Sky News Regional Breakfast (who interviewed spokesperson Dr Ashlee Morgan), and ABC Radio Perth (who interviewed spokespeople Dr Carmen Lawrence and Greg Bourne) and Fairfax Radio stations 2GB, 3AW, 4BC (who ran a grab throughout the day from spokesperson Dr Jennifer Rayner) and The West Australian.
The CMC has also worked extensively with the Global Cooksafe Coalition, as well as our network of health spokespeople to demonstrate the dire health consequences of gas in the home, including an increased childhood asthma burden. State and local governments are increasingly discouraging new gas connections by changing their regulations, which demonstrates the impact the CMC and allies have had to date in eroding the social licence for fossil fuels.
What’s next for the CMC?
We’re excited to further develop our work with groups in the Pacific and continue to ensure those with lived experience of climate change, as well as innovative solutions, are platformed. We are also developing new training modules and modes of delivery to ensure we can work with all of those who can benefit from our specialist expertise.
How has Groundswell's support helped you achieve your goals this year?
Through supporting a Senior Media Advisor to deliver three hours of support every day this year, Groundswell’s support has been invaluable in helping us achieve our goals! The biggest achievement we’ve delivered with your support has been successfully pitching and coordinating noted photojournalist Andrew Quilty to visit with a number of communities around the country to help visualise their stories of climate impact.
The resulting essay series was published in several editions of The Weekend Australian Magazine and told the stories of survivors of the floods in the NSW Northern Rivers, First Nations communities in Tennant Creek living in extreme heat without access to electricity, and Indigenous rangers in Far North Queensland who are rehabilitating mangroves, while also assisting researchers who are studying the capacity of mangroves to capture and store carbon.
As part of the Groundswell community, you should be so proud of the role you’ve played in making this possible!