Research + Purpose

Climate Change has gotten to people through education in institutions like public schools, universities, etc. and the media. Thus far, the media uses scare rhetoric to get the attention of the people but in my opinion, the dramatization is more crippling and depressing than inspiring. In 2014, many people saw the Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham debate, more than 5 million people! It was popular partly because of the name recognition of Bill Nye the Science Guy, the millennial childhood scientist. People, in the 1990s and beyond, had grown up with this man teaching them the water cycle in middle school classrooms. He is now an avid spokesperson for climate change and regularly sparks debates on television and answers Q&As on social media such as tumblr. However, people got tired of the same sad story. After a day of school or work, no one wants to think about taking responsibility for their actions. Movements like the Environmental Media Association (EMA) have made sustainable practices and climate change talks more accessible by affecting Hollywood. Their innovative idea of merging celebrity life with environmentalism has started things like the Green Carpet and open discussions of environmentalism. Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar speech has gone viral with the message of environmentalism and movies such as "The Martian" hold underlying themes of environmentalism. The key, I believe, is changing the connotation of environmentalism into a positive and accessible one by colloquializing it. My next question: "Who is my audience?"

"Boykoff, Maxwell T., and Jules M. Boykoff. "Climate Change and Journalistic Norms: A Case-study of US Mass-media Coverage." Geoforum 38.6 (2007): 1190-204. Science Direct, 5 Jan. 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2016."

Levin, Debbie. "EMA | EMA." EMA. Sierra Club, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016."

"Over 3 Million Tuned In for Historic Bill Nye and Ken Ham Debate." Answers in Genesis. Answers in Genesis, 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2016."

"Watch The Creationism Vs. Evolution Debate: Ken Ham And Bill Nye." NPR. NPR, 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2016."