I was in court yesterday (to testify as a witness) waiting for the trial to begin and overhead a conversation about global warming that reminded me how deeply ingrained some messages and misinformation have become. A middle-aged lawyer, an older sheriff and a court reporter who was probably in his late 20s were chatting about the weather here in Portland, which has been unseasonably cold and wetter than usual this spring. The sheriff grumbled about global warming, saying it was a figment of Al’s imagination, and the other two men laughed and agreed. For the next ten minutes, they tossed around all the common arguments against global warming: the science is inconclusive; it’s a hoax being driven by the liberal media; it’s a way for Democrats to stir up the voters in an election year; it’s all part of the climate’s natural cycle; that the sun is entering a cooling period, so the planet is about to experience lower-than-average temperatures; and so on. What was interesting was how each of these statements was immediately recognized by the group and stood on its own, without much discussion or explanation. Each of the men so thoroughly knew the script that it was like overhearing a Cliffs Notes version of the global warming debate.
It got me wondering whether these men’s minds could be changed–and if so, by what. What message could get through such a dismissive gauntlet? More likely, what experience could shift their view? The scope of the problem of global warming is so massive, that it’s easy to dismiss as not personally relevant. For these men, climate change probably has to disrupt their way of life and affect them individually to have any chance of being recognized as real.
And that got me thinking about the role companies could play in creating or shaping those sorts of transformational messages or experiences. Brands want to be seen as the solution, not the problem. But given their influence over our collective consciousness and national conversations, could they take on a more confrontational leadership role in breaking through hardened positions on global warming? The brand that immediately comes to mind is Benetton, which has been taking on stark societal problems, such as bigotry or AIDS or hunger, in its advertising for years. Could another company take such a radical, visceral approach on the environment? Right now, most companies are focusing on how they’re reducing their greenhouse gas emissions or designing more energy efficient products; the graphic imagery and raw language is largely left to activist groups (and Al Gore). Companies are raising mainstream awareness and acceptance of the problem, but aren’t necessarily sounding the alarm or provoking the needed revolution. It’s the rational and safe approach, but given the growing number of consumers who expect companies to take the lead in addressing climate change, is it the best one?
