S2 E1: What if comedy could save the planet? with Dan Ilic, A Rational Fear Podcast

Comedy might just be our most powerful tool in the fight against climate inaction. When data and spreadsheets fail to move hearts and minds, laughter creates an opening for truth to slip through defenses and take root.

Award-winning podcaster and media strategist Dan Ilic joins The Green Fix to share his remarkable journey from viral video creator to climate activist extraordinaire. Long before digital content could "go viral" with the tap of a share button, Dan was pioneering comedic climate communication, demonstrating how humor can distill complex information into "memetic versions of truth" that stick with audiences in ways data never could.

The conversation takes us behind the scenes of his most audacious stunt – crowdfunding billboards in Times Square that publicly shamed the Australian government's climate policies during COP26. What began as a modest $12,000 campaign for a single billboard in Glasgow snowballed into a six-figure international media sensation that ultimately pressured then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison to attend the climate summit he'd planned to skip. "If I could do one thing, making Scott Morrison go to COP was the one thing I could do for the movement," Dan reflects.

For sustainability leaders navigating corporate environments, Dan offers refreshingly practical advice: show your actual emissions reduction work rather than relying on consultants or generic ESG messaging. "Find meaningful and tangible ways to do great work, reduce actual emissions, and then talk about it authentically," he urges, suggesting companies could even introduce their own "carbon tax" by charging polluting clients differently or offering incentives for climate action.

Ready to infuse your sustainability communication with humor that cuts through the noise? Listen now to discover how comedy might be the secret weapon we've been overlooking in the climate fight.

You can find Dan's work at:

A Rational Fear
Not A Real Media Company
Instagram

Your Hosts:
Dan Leverington
Loreto Gutierrez

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