Climate Scientists are Pairing with Comedians to Communicate with the Public

by Eric Worrall at wattsupwiththat.com

This isn’t actually a joke.

Jo Brand translated my science. I’m certain that comedy can connect people to climate change

Published: February 20, 2024 12.59am AEDT
Mark Maslin
Professor of Natural Sciences, UCL

A new comedy project pairing leading comedians with climate scientists presents a novel way to communicate the climate crisis.

“If people like me have to get involved, you know we are in deep shit,” says Jo Brand, renowned British comedian and The Great British Bake Off host. Why? Because she has joined the ranks of other notable comedians such as Nish KumarKiri Pritchard-McLean, and Jonathan Pie in Climate Science Translated, a project that translates complex climate science into accessible and funny content to spur millions of people into action.

Even though climate change is the greatest threat humanity has ever faced, research by the Climate Science Breakthrough team shows that just 2% of the public can name a climate scientist. Nearly everyone knows Jo Brand. Getting famous comedians to translate what climate scientists are saying in a funny, ironic and often blunt way makes the science much more accessible.