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Guide To Communicating Carbon Pricing

Presentation Slides: http://cclusa.org/�communicating-carbon-pricing

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Welcome to Citizens’ Climate University, a weekly webinar program of Citizens’ Climate Lobby that provides CCL supporters with access to in-depth training opportunities on topics relating to climate change and effective climate advocacy.

I’m your host Brett Cease and tonight’s topic is a Guide to Communicating Carbon Pricing Training. Today’s training will help CCL volunteers improve our communications around carbon pricing policy based on the main findings and recommendations in the Guide to Communicating Carbon Pricing report (Partnership for Market Readiness & Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, 2018).�

Allow me to introduce our esteemed presenters

George Marshall, Climate Outreach's Co-Founder & Director of Training and Consultancy (and former CCL Monthly Speaker) along with Tom Erb, Partner Relations Coordinator, Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition at The World Bank.

Welcome! Share where you’re calling in from and what brought you here or any questions in the chat
Tonight’s slides: http://cclusa.org/communicating-carbon-pricing
CCL Community Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/423

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Housekeeping

Format: Presentation and then time for Q&A

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About Our Speakers

George Marshall

Director of Programmes, Climate Outreach

Thomas Erb

Partner Relations Coordinator, �Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition

George Marshall is the founder of Climate Outreach, the leading specialists in Europe in Climate Change Communication. Marshall has 30 years experience at all levels of communications and advocacy – from community level protest movements, to senior positions in Greenpeace and the Rainforest Foundation, to advisory roles for governments, businesses and international agencies. He writes regularly on climate change issues including articles for The Guardian, The New Statesman, New Scientist and The Ecologist. He has written two books including Don't Even Think About It: Why our Brains are Wired to Ignore Climate Change https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dont-even-think-about-it-9781620401330/ (Bloomsbury US, 2014), written for a general public audience on the psychology of climate change.

Tom Erb is the Partner Relations Coordinator for the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition at the World Bank. In this role, he coordinates 275+ CPLC partners in advocacy, communication, and knowledge initiatives to advance carbon pricing implementation across the globe. He is from San Diego, California.

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Our Agenda

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Background & Key Findings

Improving The Standard Narrative

Challenges To Communicating

Energy Innovation Act Applications

Ground Rules for Effective Conversations

Q&A Discussion

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Communicating Carbon Pricing

29 September 2019

Webinar for Citizens Climate Lobby

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Communicating Carbon Pricing

29 August 2019

Webinar for �Citizens’ Climate Lobby

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The team

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Key findings

Narratives based on values, identity
Convey trust and fairness
Address salient concerns
Possibly through the visible use of revenues
Evidence-based on research and testing
Iterative communication design from the outset and at all stages
Good communications need good policy

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The standard narrative

Climate change is a dangerous, costly future threat

So we need to put a “price on carbon”

This is how carbon pricing works

A small cost now averts larger costs in the future

And, it brings us other benefits

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Talking about the cost: prof. Daniel Kahnemann

“Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.”

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Talking about the cost

People are somewhat willing to pay a short-term cost for an uncertain short-term benefit.
They are less willing to pay a short-term cost for a certain long-term benefit.
They are still less willing to pay a short-term cost to avoid a certain long-term cost.
They are least willing to pay a certain short-term cost to avoid an uncertain long-term cost.

From: Kahneman, Tversky, Slovic: "Judgement Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases" (1982)

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Keeping it relevant

Chris Ragan

Chair of the Canadian �Ecofiscal Commission

“We need to remember that economists are not normal people and don’t use the language normal people use!”

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Senior Communications Director

(confidential)

“Our polling found that the more you explain emissions trading, the less people like it.

Firstly,because there is an antipathy to the idea of the ‘polluter pays’ principle—people dislike the idea that polluters can buy their way out of pollution, rather than reducing it.

Secondly, the terminology of auctions, markets, and permits that you can buy and sell make people associate it with greedy finance markets that you can’t control or trust.”

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CALIFORNIA

CHILE

Understanding national circumstances

Air pollution important concern
A positive vision for the future

“We need to be very vocal about the benefits, the means for the transition, the options brought by new technology, innovation, employment, health and other issues. That’s what will give us the broader buy-in for wider policy.”

Juan Pedro Searle, Head of Climate Change Unit, Sustainable Development Division, Ministry of Energy, Chile

Broad popular support for addressing climate change, clean transport like electric cars, light rail etc.
Some scepticism of carbon price
Visible revenue use�

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Visible revenue use

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Case study: Canada

2008 - Quebec and British Columbia introduce Carbon Taxes

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Case study: Canadian Narrative Design 2011 - 2018

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Fair/unfair

Carbon pricing is a fair way to share responsibility for the carbon pollution that causes climate change and to reward the companies that are most efficient and pollute the least. It's not fair that heavy energy users can dump their carbon pollution in the air we all breathe. Polluters should be held accountable and should pay for the pollution that they force all of us to live with.

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The importance of trusted communicators

Ask: who are the trusted communicators?
A process for recruiting trusted communicators
Supporting and enabling broad based engagement

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Three challenges to communicating carbon pricing

Challenge 1

Whether or not to proactively communicate carbon pricing

High-profile, independent legislation required?
Is significant opposition likely?
Carbon pricing associated with specific political party?
Relevance of public opinion on policymaking

Reasons for proactive communication

Concerns with proactive communications

Set tone of the debate, control messaging
Necessary if visibility is important for effectiveness

Communication may draw critical attention
Level of trust in government affects trust public places in government explanations

Factors to consider

Importance of research

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Three challenges to communicating carbon pricing

Challenge 2

Whether or not to focus on climate change

Testing of public concern and understanding of the issue
Other, more prominent issues (e.g.: air pollution)?
Level of (political) polarization on the issue

High prominence to climate change

Low prominence to climate change

Climate change = challenge and opportunity
Climate change as current concern
Co-benefits: energy transition, clean air, etc.

Other (more prominent) issues e.g. air pollution, green economy
Energy transition and technological transformation

Factors to consider

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Three challenges to communicating carbon pricing

Challenge 3

Labelling a carbon tax

Label as a tax

Avoid the t-word

Public understands the concept of a tax; how revenue is spent becomes main issue
Honest, calls it what it is

“Tax” creates negative frame

Tax

Fee

Charge

Levy

Energy Climate Contribution

Carbon price

Narrative / language testing

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A better narrative

You know me and trust me

We are going to provide something great

And it won’t be paid out of your income taxes or business profits

But by a small additional charge on pollution

A fair way to put things in balance- by providing the things that people want

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Key findings

Narratives based on values, identity
Convey trust and fairness
Address salient concerns
Possibly through the visible use of revenues
Evidence-based on research and testing
Iterative communication design from the outset and at all stages
Good communications need good policy

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Energy Innnovation Act

Good to speak to health
Generally good bi-partisan framing
“Revenue Neutral” = economist jargon
Offering a dividend not clear revenue use?�Watch Canada !

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Ground rules for effective conversations

1. Respect

2. Hold your own truth

3. Ask and listen

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4 parts of a conversation

Opening
Validate- you are right
State your position-”I think”
Ask a question. “What do you think”

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Ask questions and listen

Ask about personal experiences
Reflect what you hear, show that you’ve heard
Don’t interrupt
Learn from them
Have an exchange and learn from one another
Ask for more information

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Time For Questions

Click the Microphone Icon Or *6 If On The Phone

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https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics

Share online, with social media, and with your chapter, family and friends!

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Thank You!

Brett Cease email: brett@citizensclimate.org

Questions? Ask on CCL Community’s Forums: https://community.citizensclimate.org/forums

www.citizensclimatelobby.org