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Planet Now
Blog on Effective Environmental Communication
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In a 2021 poll, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that only 47% of Americans think climate change will harm them personally. A strategy for effective climate communication is showing people how climate change will likely affect them. One impact of climate change that will probably affect most people is the reduced availability of some foods and drinks. What we eat and drink is a core part of our lifestyles. Showing people how climate change, mainly caused by burning fossil fuels, threatens this part of our lives can help them understand why it is important to slow the problem. Then they may take steps themselves to slow the problem. Here are some foods and drinks that climate change could limit: Chocolate Drought is a growing problem in West Africa, where more than half of the world’s cocoa is grown. As climate change reduces humidity in this region, less land will be suitable for growing cocoa. Less cocoa means less chocolate. Health-conscious people may not be concerned about less chocolate, but communication with them could include health benefits of dark chocolate. For example, it has several vitamins and reduces people’s risk of heart disease and diabetes. Potatoes Do you like mashed potatoes or french fries? Hot temperatures and dry weather make potatoes more difficult to grow and can give them unattractive bumps and dark spots that consumers do not prefer to purchase. The good news is that scientists are creating new potato varieties that are more resilient to weather changes, showing the importance of research to help agriculture adapt to climate change! People should still be aware that climate change affects common foods like potatoes. Not all food has the option for resistant varieties. Also, hurricanes can destroy sweet potato farms. North Carolina is the top producer of sweet potatoes in the United States. Hurricane Florence, which climate change likely worsened, washed away the majority of some farmers’ sweet potatoes in North Carolina in 2018. Fish Shockingly, climate change could cause 60% of fish species to go extinct by 2100. It is already harming fish like salmon by creating ocean acidification that kills their food. Lowered fish availability is a problem since about 3 billion people rely on seafood for protein. Coffee Coffee is a necessity in the diets of many college students and workers, but high temperatures and precipitation have caused spores to grow on coffee plants. The spores have prevented coffee berries from growing, especially in Central and South America. The spread of these spores could reduce land suitable for coffee production by 50% by 2050. Wine Climate change leads to wildfires that threaten vineyards in regions like California, Australia, and Spain, which are known for producing wine. Even distant wildfires can cause wine to have a smoky taste. These foods and drinks are just some popular sources of fuel for our bodies that climate change threatens. Other foods that climate change may make less available include rice, almonds, peaches, and cranberries. In North Carolina, climate impacts like heat, droughts, and floods have already destroyed crops like corn, soybean, and wheat, causing these industries to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. The supply of food is not the only challenge. As the world population grows, demand for food will increase, which could also increase the costs of food. Do you want to keep these foods and drinks readily available? Have conversations with family and friends about climate change and how it affects food. Vote for politicians who take climate change seriously. Support companies and brands that are sustainable. Join environmental organizations; they can connect you with resources to write letters to lawmakers. While climate change is already happening, the extent of the impacts depends on how much our society continues to contribute to the problem by burning fossil fuels. We can still fight to protect our environment—and our food.
4 Comments
Joanne
3/5/2022 09:38:27 pm
This blog really brings it home! The French have a saying”A day without wine is like a day without sunshine!” I say the same thing about chocolate! Seriously, this is an excellent blog because it speaks to the average person in terms that we can all understand. “Hit ‘‘em where it hurts”, unfortunately, is one effective way to wake people up to how climate change is negatively affecting or will soon affect us all personally.
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Jessica Reid
3/6/2022 04:29:35 pm
Thanks for your comment! You've hit the mark that we should appeal to what matters to people. I'm glad you like it!
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It's becoming more and more difficult to ignore the very real effects of climate change. Dying coral populations in our seas, melting ice endangering Arctic animals, and the undeniable uptick in violent weather and fires across our own country make denying climate change impossible. The consequences, as Jessica so clearly presents, are already affecting many things we take for granted. It may well be too late to turn back much of the damage already done, but whatever we can do to slow the course of climate change must be done for our children and grandchildren. Thank you, Jessica.
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Jessica Reid
3/6/2022 04:32:20 pm
Absolutely! It is not too late to do something to slow climate change. Thanks for your comment!
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Welcome to my blog! It is a combination of posts from my strategic writing (spring 2022) and personal branding (spring 2023) courses at UNC. I hope you will enjoy reading the posts and learning about the environment and communication.
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