A website to educate about climate change

            For my final project for my Climate Change Communication class, I decided to make an interactive website with information about climate change and what people as individuals can do to mitigate their impacts. It’s incredibly overwhelming for everyday people to wrap their minds around climate change and comprehend what’s going on. It’s even easier to feel like there’s not much to be done about climate change. So I decided to provide people with simple information and links to resources like, NASA, NOAA, the IPCC, and other organizations so that people could read more about topics or from sources that particularly interested them. The concepts I discussed didn’t go too in-depth to maintain people’s quick attention, and I made sure to stay away from jargon and make explanations simple. If people are interested in learning more, there is an abundance of links throughout the website to resources and other webpages where they can learn more.

            I offered solutions to people because when faced with information about the harm that is going to happen to the planet, it’s easy to feel lost and like there’s nothing to be done. Simple changes add up over time or if a lot of people are acting, so my hope is that enough people will be inspired to make at least one change in their life.

            I personally learn information best by seeing it and seeing images or figures to accompany information that is being provided to me. However, I know people learn best by doing an action or hearing information, so I featured different deliveries of information throughout my website. I included a section called “listen” with links to amazing climate and environmentally-centered podcasts and even a fun little Spotify playlist full of environmentally-themed songs I enjoy. There are also two links to YouTube playlists I made. One features information by a variety of sources, like TED, ASAPScience, Vox, and other content creators, and provide information about what climate change is. The other playlist features videos by Levi Hildebrand, Katherine Hayhoe, Our Changing Climate, and Shelbizleee and offers alternative behaviors or advice to those who are interested in changing their impact on the climate.

            I wanted to include different types of resources, some are official, and some are more fun than serious because it’s easier to get through to different people in different ways. This website can target a range of people, because they aren’t immediately turned off by images of polar bears on melting ice caps, and aren’t sent running by being condemned for questioning climate change’s plausibility. There isn’t an intense of information overloaded with jargon and numbers for people to process through. It’s simple and people can dig more if they feel inspired to do so. By reaching different aspects of people’s lives, and inviting them to learn more instead of simply presenting more and more information, I hope that this will increase interest and bring people who might be on the fence to terms with what is happening. If people feel like they’re discovering this information themselves, they’ll feel more inspired to act on it or speak about it. I feel that this approach is inviting and makes people feel like it’s their choice to learn more and doesn’t immediately overload those that are visiting my site.

            By making climate change something that everyday people can do something about, or even just learn about in a digestible way, this will get people’s interest and maybe even convince people who are on the fence about the realities of what’s happening. It’s important to take little actions, and even listening to a podcast during your commute to work is doing your part. In order to inspire action against the devastating impacts, it is important to first provide information to inform and educate people. Knowledge is power, especially in this instance. This will hopefully inspire all sorts of people to go out and vote for green policies, eat less meat, and participate in that protest they had marked themselves as “interested” in. Climate change doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Take a look at my wesbite here for yourself and maybe you’ll learn something new, too.