WHAT’S SO FUNNY ABOUT A GLOBAL EMERGENCY?
Nothing, but an occasional light touch, done well, is appreciated all around. Humor can engage an audience quickly, and it can help us better understand science and its impact on people and society. Lightening up on this subject doesn’t mean letting up: adding charm to the message can deliver it more effectively. 

“I sometimes feel that if I must read even one more wet novel that argues courageously, in the teeth of its audience’s predilections, in favor of trees and moss and sunshine, I will pluck out my eyes,” Dwight Garner wrote in a book review recently. Unfortunately, climate change is intensely politicized, especially in the US. Humor creates space. When you laugh with someone, in that moment you agree. Humor can lower defenses and helps meet people where they are. 

Here at the 51 Percent Project, we collect standout examples of humor being used to help people better understand climate change—and to expose science detractors and deniers. Check out Oblivia Coleman from Make My Money Matter, whose founder says “We wanted to bring the message to life in a way that feels like you’re not being lectured at, but talked to like you would talk to friends and family.” Everybody’s funny bone is different, but we think this overwhelmed dude is hilarious, from Adam McKay’s prolific Yellow Dot Studios.

Satirists like Andrew Borowitz of The New Yorker and the late-night TV hosts provide regular examples of humor’s ability to restore perspective, and hope.

In a rare show of coordination, late-night hosts decided to focus on climate change during the run-up to the 2021 UN General Assembly. Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, James Corden, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah united across networks on Sept. 22 for "Climate Night," focusing their programming on climate change.