'We're More Than Just a Commercial:' These 17 Creators Are Leading the Conversation on Climate

For the second year running, climate-focused media company Pique Action and the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have put together a list of top talent in this category. After sifting through between 300 and 400 profiles, the partnership is recognizing 17 creators for their original work on social media that's educating their followers on climate science, debunking misinformation and empowering people to focus on climate solutions that improve human and planet health. The group includes activists, rappers, scientists, songwriters and visual artists. "They have a higher bar than a lot of traditional publishers [for] what they'll talk about when it comes to climate," Tyler Steinhardt, vp of business development and partnerships at Pique Action, told Adweek. "They're not going to be greenwashing because they recognize [that it] could be an existential risk for their brand association." It goes without saying that in 2023, no brand wants to be caught greenwashing—especially when that means being called out in a viral social post. One way to avoid that is by employing the help of creators with deep knowledge of the environmental and climate issues in addition to their audiences and their platforms. Content creation as climate education Collectively, the creators on this year's list have a following of over 3.4 million across their social channels, according to Pique Action. Those viewers are largely made up of a younger generation of people that tend to turn to creators for information they trust—especially on issues like climate. Aaron Bernstein, interim director of Harvard Chan C-CHANGE, pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, described how the project draws on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic. "Public health historically relied on a very top-down hierarchical way of getting knowledge out there," he explained. During the early days of Covid, "we weren't communicating in the way that most a lot of people were primarily receiving knowledge." On climate, Harvard C-CHANGE is aiming to improve upon those communication methods. "We realized we needed to partner and elevate the voices of people who were communicating on climate action to communities that we would never reach from our perch at Harvard," Bernstein explained. Who better than a group of highly skilled social media influencers knowledgeable in different areas of climate science, pollution and environmental justice? Fighting Climate Doom With Solutions-Focused (and Science-Backed) Inspirational TikToks A smaller pool of like-minded brands For most full-time influencers and creators on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, brand partnerships make up the lion's share of their revenue. Climate and other impact creators, though, are drawing from a smaller pool of like-minded brands for that income—and even leaving some money on the table when it doesn't align with their values. https://www.tiktok.com/@trashcaulin/video/7191496248401136938?lang=en Caulin Donaldson, a 26-year-old creator based in St. Petersburg, Fla., told Adweek that he recently turned down a partnership with a major fast-food brand for this reason. "They wanted to script the video for me without letting me give an honest review," he explained. "It didn't feel authentic." Donaldson, who runs an account focused on plastic pollution and beach cleanups, said brands need to offer more creative freedom to creators if they want to benefit from the credibility that their partnerships can lend to marketing efforts. "We're not necessarily looking to just promote things. We're looking to educate as well," Donaldson said. "We're more than just a commercial." All the creators on Pique Action and Harvard C-CHANGE's list are below: Philip Aiken, Austin, Tex.Zahra Biabani, Houston, Tex.Georgia Cam, Sydney, AustraliaLauren Bash, Santa Monica, Calif.Caulin Donaldson, St. Petersburg, Fla.Oli Frost, London, EnglandWawa Gatheru, Washington, D.C.Isaias Hernandez, Los Angeles, Calif.Nicole Kelner, New York, N.Y.Arielle V. King, Silver Spring, Md.Mckenzie Margarethe, Okanagan, B.C., CanadaDez McGill, San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.Hila Perry, New York, N.Y.Jhánneu Roberts, Austin, Tex.James Stewart, London, EnglandHazel Thayer, Victoria, B.C., CanadaLaura Young, Glasgow, Scotland