Allison Burbach- Theater Activism on Climate Change (1/27)

I attended the last night of the Art(S)cience Festival that focused on theater, climate change, and activism. The panel discussion with playwright Chantal Bilodeau, Dr. Linda Manning, and Dr. Andria Timmer touched on motivations for environmental activism and stewardship. Chantal Bilodeau uses storytelling in her plays that encourage climate action. As someone who is keenly focused on the hard-science behind climate change, it was refreshing to watch and hear how artists convey the climate change story and make it impactful for everyone in the audience. One skill Chantal suggested was to skip any mention of climate change in the first place and go directly to the effects that resonate with people, such as reduced crop yields. 

I wonder if Chantal would agree that another approach could be focusing on the aesthetic value that may be lost with destructive anthropogenic activities. At a minimum, this would require the individual to hold some value for the aesthetics of nature. If this minimum admiration is not already held, no amount of convincing could calculate that loss. I hope most people at least somewhat find nature beautiful, so this approach could reach a large audience of people that are indifferent or not acting related to environmental activism.