New York, June 19, 2015 – The Guardian today announced the launch of a new climate change series, Too Hot To Handle, which aims to raise awareness of climate change via humor. In partnership with Ben & Jerry’s, the Guardian will employ comedy across a rich assortment of mediums to drive public conversation, debate and action around climate change.
The publication is working with top comedy talent, including College Humor and the Upright Citizens Brigade, to create the funniest possible content in order to educate and inform readers, as well as to drive action on this important issue. Using classic comedic techniques such as parody public service announcements, satirical articles and original man-on-the-street interviews, and Saturday Night Live-style videos, the Guardian hopes to publish shareable environmental content that will help grow the mainstream conversation about climate change.
As a publication that has already seen strong growth in environmental readership, the Guardian expects this new content will expand its ability to reach a larger demographic of readers, including those who haven’t previously engaged with the topic.
The Too Hot To Handle campaign launches in conjunction with #Keepitintheground, a Guardian divestment campaign that began in March. Both of these projects have set out to provide new ways for readers to get involved and take action in the fight against climate change.
“The conversation around climate change is often overwhelming, and traditional ways of engaging people aren’t doing enough to drive change,” said Charlie Wilkie, senior vice president at the Guardian. “We think humor can help people connect to this important topic and encourage not only awareness, but action. We’re really excited to partner with Ben & Jerry’s, a brand that cares deeply about the planet and has a long history of championing social justice.”
“Businesses need to play a more active role in building a movement and championing solutions to climate change,” said Jay Curley, senior global marketing manager at Ben & Jerry’s. “Ben & Jerry’s is excited to partner with the Guardian to bring more people into the movement through humor.”
The Too Hot To Handle series will run from June 19 through December 2015, with new content posted weekly. The series will kick off this week with a new College Humor video urging viewers to “Save America’s Dumps”, as well as an original opinion piece by Canadian-American comedian Bonnie McFarlane.
For more information on Too Hot To Handle, please visit: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/climate-change-too-hot-to-handle.
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