From Climate Shocks to Climate Action With Dana R. Fisher

Communicating Climate Change

This episode features a conversation with seasoned scholar, author, and expert on all-things activism, Professor Dana R. Fisher. It was recorded in October 2023.

Dana is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity at American University. She’s a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution, is President of the Eastern Sociological Society, and is the chair-elect of the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association.

She served as a Contributing Author for Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Review, writing about citizen engagement and civic activism, and her media appearances include, to name but a few: ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS Newshour, NPR, BBC, and CBC. And her words have appeared in likes of the Washington Post, Slate, TIME Magazine, Politico, Vox, and the New York Times.

Professor Fisher has authored over 75 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and her seventh book, Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action, which formed the basis of our conversation, will be will be out in early 2024. Pre-order it here.

Amongst other things, Dana and I discussed the role of disruptive tactics within the broader climate movement, the relationship between such tactics and the media, and what the future will likely hold when it comes to activism associated with the climate crisis.

Additional links:

Pre-order Dana’s latest book Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action

Visit Dana’s website

See Dana on TMZ talking about the radical flank effect