Tipping points seminar examined what climate change can learn from tobacco control

Professor Iain Black and Dr Amira Mukendi from the Department of Marketing led an online seminar for an earth scientist audience on September 17 which examined positive social tipping points and how to overcome deliberate attempts to slow them.

“Reducing Barriers to Positive Social Tipping Points” discussed how the tipping of social systems to low carbon states, such as electrification of transport or adoption of heat pumps is slowed, weakened or blocked by market actors and their proxies, hence slowing our transition to a low carbon society.  Understanding these ‘dampening effects’ is critical for designing strategies that reduce resistance and accelerate change.

Professor Black – whose research focuses on sustainable consumption and climate change - was joined by Professor Gerard Hastings, University of Stirling, who did so much globally important work around tobacco control whilst based in Strathclyde Business School’s Marketing department in the 1980s and 90s. Professor Hastings’ work has informed governments, policymakers and civil society organisations around the world and has served as Special Advisor to the House of Commons' Health Select Committee on its inquiries into the tobacco, food, pharmaceutical and alcohol industries.

Professor Black said,

Gerard’s contribution to improving national health outcomes particularly through decreasing tobacco smoking rates is difficult to overestimate. He was at the forefront of working out how to best use marketing techniques for pro-social and latterly pro-environmental good. He joined us at the seminar to give his experience of how you campaign over decades against a well-funded industry whose products cause irrevocable, hugely expensive damage. His main experience is from battling tobacco but he has moved more recently into examining the same tactics being used by the fossil fuel industry.

Stewart Kirkpatrick – a digital strategist with expertise in content strategy, digital marketing and media management - provided lessons from digital campaigning and how to build messages and counter message strategies. This was followed by a moderated discussion by Dr Amira Mukendi who will bring in examples from fashion and social media influencing.

Professor Black added, “Global earth systems tipping points have rightly had significant press recently as this work examines the collapse of vital earth systems. For example, we now expect we can no longer save the tropical coral reefs and if and when we lose the AMOC [Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation] we will see severe changes to Scotland’s climate. These include predictions that winter artic sea ice could reach the south of Scotland.  Positive social tipping points - the topic we were talking about - examines how we create systemic change to low carbon lifestyles which are seen as the antidote to the collapse of earth systems. But for these to occur we have to recognise we are in a decades long fight against the fossil fuel industry and we need to learn lessons on how to win against better connected, better funded and more powerful opponents with everything to lose.”