Maybe a Laugh Could Help? Humor in Climate Communication

The thesis focuses on the role that humor can have in climate communication. After an initial definition of humor and its main theories, the work presents the main aspects and limitations of climate communication. To this follow the recounting of theories regarding scientific communication and the effectiveness of humor in incrementing awareness and information retention. Different actors participate in climate obstruction, through lobbying and science misinformation: the main tactics operated by fossil fuel companies and other actors are indicated along the strategies to counter them. The thesis takes into consideration practices of greenwashing and strategic litigations against public participation (SLAPPs), as means of enforcing climate inaction. The psychological aspects of climate communication provide insights in understanding the reaction of large portions of society to the messaging proposed by scientists and to the lack of measures by governments to tackle climate change. The work highlights the limits of current mainstream environmentalism, under the lens of Nicole Seymour’s “Bad Affect”, central in proposing communication strategies that rely on humor. The case studies highlight how humor is already of use in science communication: the works of Matt Winning, Climate Science Breakthrough, John Oliver, Oli Frost, PENG! Collective, FillPill, and the Clown Army illustrate examples of possible formats that contribute to societal transformation by using humor. The work finally delves into the limits of the use of humor in the context of the current challenges in the realm of freedom of speech and changed political climate.