Using comedy to combat climate change

The Climate Comedy Cohort aims to help comedians infuse climate activism into their creative work.

A car pulls up to a street corner, and a young, bearded man hops in the passenger seat, only to come face to face with a weathered and bald future version of himself.


The two have an offbeat, funny conversation that veers from their shared dream of marrying Taylor Swift and the pronunciation of the word “Worcestershire” to the power of hope in the face of climate change and the benefits of electric vehicles.

No, it’s not a fever dream—it’s a sketch comedy video produced by Esteban Gast, the comedian in residence for Generation180, a clean energy nonprofit. Gast, along with Generation180 and the American University-based Center for Media and Social Impact, has created a new project to help comedians become climate ambassadors through their craft.

The project is a response to growing research and understanding about how comedy, even about topics as serious as climate change, can be an important avenue for activism.

Comedy meets science 

This isn’t the first time comedy has been used as a tool to engage people in climate conversations — last September, seven popular late-night hosts dedicated one night of their shows, dubbed “Climate Night,” to covering climate stories. The jokes ranged in accuracy and effectiveness, highlighting the need for more, and more responsible, climate comedy.

Toward that end, the Climate Comedy Cohort aims to put established comedians into conversation with climate experts and scientists — the “serious people,” said Caty Borum, executive director of the Center for Media and Social Impact. In this first year, nine comedians will spend six weeks in workshops and conversations with prominent voices in the climate movement, such as Dyanna Jaye, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement and Niklas Hagelberg, an environmental expert at the United Nations.

Learning about climate science from these experts, Borum told EHN, will help comedians infuse accurate climate science into their creative work — after all, comedians work by taking cues from the world around them. This kind of crosstalk rarely happens between the activist world and the world of comedy. “It's kind of an amazing experience that no one has really had in comedy,” Borum said.

At the end of the six-weeks, the fellows will pitch their comedy ideas and design sketches and standup comedy shows that will tour the country this coming fall.

Solutions and sustaining social movements

Comedy can be a valuable tool for social change, said Gast and Borum. Research has shown that the public is more likely to take action on an issue if they feel like their actions can make a difference. Comedy can do that by changing a typically gloomy narrative into a hopeful one, helping the audience understand that solutions are possible. For example, in Gast’s sketch, his older self assures him that, while the future is different, humans found a way to live sustainably.

If comedians decide to talk about tangible solutions in their work, Gast said, they can inform people about tangible ways society can move toward a sustainable future. “We're not just going to talk about hope or solutions because we're naive but because there actually are [solutions].”

Comedy is also a way to “sustain” social movements that might otherwise become overwhelmed with anger or hopelessness, Lauren Feldman, a professor of media studies at Rutgers University who studies the role of comedy in social movements, told EHN. Additionally, she said, comedy can be disarming, making divisive topics like climate change more accessible to people who might not otherwise want to pay attention.

The purpose, said Gast, is not to turn comedians into activists, but to help them make responsible and accessible creative work that includes climate change as a topic. “They are not going to be ‘climate change comedians,’” said Gast. “They're going to do their set. And if they do an hour, maybe seven minutes or maybe one bit is [about climate change].”

Comedy as a communication tool 

Another goal of the program is to instill curiosity in climate experts to learn how to use comedy as an effective communication tool. “If serious advocates in climate start to really take comedians seriously and invite them into [climate activism], that can be really powerful over time,” she said.

Comedians, said Gast, have an appetite for creating comedy about current issues facing society. “The climate crisis is going to be more and more and more relevant, right?” he said. At a certain point, comedian or not, “we're all gonna have to talk about it.”

A piece of paper being passed across the desk with the words I Quit on it

Trump move to dismantle FEMA prompts resignation of disaster response chief

A top federal emergency official has resigned after President Trump announced plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and shift disaster response responsibilities to states.

Lisa Friedman reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Firefighters in a forest with billowing smoke from a fire.

Wildfire response overhaul sparks backlash as Trump centralizes firefighting authority

President Trump ordered a sweeping restructuring of the U.S. wildland firefighting system, transferring authority to a new centralized agency despite expert warnings about costs and heightened risks as fire season intensifies.

The Guardian staff and agencies report.

Keep reading...Show less
A row of wind turbines stretching into the distance.

Trump vows to block new wind energy projects unless in rare emergencies

President Trump said his administration will stop approving wind energy projects, citing aesthetic concerns and a belief they harm the country.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
Two turtles swim in green water.
Credit: Photo by Chelsey Marques/Unsplash

Toxic algae are quietly killing wildlife and rewriting the rules of water

A surge in toxic algal blooms driven by climate change and fertilizer runoff is devastating wildlife and reshaping ecosystems worldwide.

Patrick Greenfield reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
A forest fire with smoke arising from flames.

New Mexico governor's drought order avoids naming climate or curbing fossil fuel production

A record-breaking drought grips New Mexico, yet the governor’s recent executive order sidesteps naming climate change or placing limits on the oil and gas industry, which fuels both the crisis and the state’s budget.

Jerry Redfern reports for Capital & Main.

Keep reading...Show less
A covered bridge over a river.

Flood-prone Vermont towns weigh economic survival against climate-driven buyouts

A year after catastrophic flooding in Vermont, small towns like Barre are grappling with the economic strain of federal home buyouts that aim to reduce future flood risk but threaten their financial future.

Anna Phillips reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Bike lane logo on the pavement with the shadow of a bike on it.

D.C. removes protected bike lane after aesthetic complaints from residents

District officials quietly dismantled a protected bike lane in Northwest Washington, prompting backlash from cycling advocates and raising concerns that the city may be retreating from efforts to build safer infrastructure for cyclists.

Rachel Weiner reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.