Hestres climate change advocacy COCE 2015
Presentation at the 2015 Conference on Communication and the Environment. ABSTRACT: Widespread adoption of the Internet has transformed how most U.S. political advocacy organizations operate. But perhaps a more important consequence of broad Internet adoption has been the formation of new types of advocacy organizations that now coexists with “legacy” groups established before Internet use became widespread. These “Internet-mediated advocacy organizations” tend to have smaller, geographically dispersed and networked staff, behave as hybrids of traditional political organizations, and emphasize the use of online tools for offline action. The U.S. climate change debate has spurred formation of many such organizations— including 350.org—that now advocate for climate action alongside legacy environmental organizations. How are these organizations truly different from their legacy environmental counterparts? How are they similar? What does the rise of these climate-specialist, Internet- mediated groups mean for climate change political advocacy? I explore these and other questions through in-depth interviews with top online strategists and other staffers at the following organizations: Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, Energy Action Coalition, 1Sky, and 350.org. Interviews revealed broad agreement among climate groups regarding core strategic assumptions about climate advocacy, but some divergence among environmental organizations. They also revealed connections between these assumptions, audience segment targeting, and strategic use of the Internet for advocacy. I also discuss implications for the future of U.S. climate advocacy.
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Hestres climate change advocacy COCE 2015
- 1. THEORIES OF CHANGE, TARGET AUDIENCES, AND ONLINE STRATEGY CLIMATE CHANGE ADVOCACY ONLINE: DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres
- 2. LEGACY ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS INTERNET-MEDIATED CLIMATE ORGANIZATIONS DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres
- 3. DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres INTERNET-MEDIATED CLIMATE ORGANIZATIONS
- 4. DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres LEGACY ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
- 5. • grassroots-oriented theory of change • part of climate change social movement • internet as tool for online- to-offline action DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres INTERNET-MEDIATED CLIMATE ORGANIZATIONS
- 6. • more diversity of theories of change • EDF: economic incentives, cooperation with business, moderation, expertise • Greenpeace USA: confronting corporations, empowering activists DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres LEGACY ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
- 7. TAKE-AWAYS • potential for more climate participation & mobilization • effect on climate polarization & compromise? • polarization could spread to other issues (e.g. fracking) DR. LUIS E. HESTRES luis.hestres@utsa.edu • luishestres.com • @luishestres
Notes de l'éditeur
- Research available in 'Environmental Politics’
- Core research questions: What are the similarities and differences between environmental/legacy and IM-climate groups in their use of the Internet for advocacy? What are the implications for climate advocacy in the near term? Internet-mediate advocacy organizations (e.g. MoveOn) Coincide with wide adoption of the Internet Opportunistic advocacy & fundraising (vs. checkbook activism) Smaller, geographically spread out (vs. brick-and-mortar) Online-to-offline action Similar groups have sprung up in single-issue contexts (e.g. climate change) Interviews with 16 online strategists & others at environmental & climate change
- Climate groups reaching out to ALARMED public
- Legacy enviros = more diverse targeting; Alarmed + other segments
- CLIMATE GROUPS = BROADLY SHARED TOC Focus on 'preaching to the choir'--i.e. Alarmed climate public Grassroots, social movement orientation Internet = tool for online-to-offline action
- ENVIROS = MORE DIVERSITY IN TOCs EDF Market forces, coop w business, moderation, scientific & policy expertise Focus on the middle of the public, approximately 70% Mobilize list to contact public officials and govt. agencies GPUSA See corporations as the problem Creating toxic environment for dirty energy, corporate campaigns, community fights (grassroots) Focus on Alarmed climate segment
- Repercussions for climate advocacy: New climate groups could be double-edged sword More mobilization & commitment around climate Less inclination to compromise (e.g. nuclear, LNG, CCS) Impact on other issues like fracking Polarization? Conflation of local environmental issues w national/international climate policies