Comedians Make Climate Change Funny…ish
When Jaden Smirnoff signed up for a climate comedy program, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. “I thought it was going to be all snowman jokes and polar bear puns,” said the Brooklyn-based comic. “But then I learned about the whole saving the planet thing and I was like, whoa.”
Smirnoff was one of several comedians who participated in a fellowship program where they learned about climate science and worked together to create new material. Their goal? To make climate change funny…ish.
“It’s a tough topic to tackle,” said Sarah Richardson, another comedian in the program. “But we figured if we could get people to laugh a little, maybe they’d be more open to hearing about the actual science and solutions.”
The Climate Comedy Crew (CCC) produced short videos, performed together at comedy clubs, and even pitched ideas to television networks. Their work is part of a larger movement to bring some humor to a subject that can be super depressing.
“We’re not laughing at the climate crisis,” said Smirnoff. “We’re laughing to keep from crying.”
One of the funniest moments from the CCC’s tour was when they did a sketch about the melting glaciers. “It was like, ‘What do we do when there’s no more ice for our whiskey?'” said Richardson. “And then someone said, ‘We drink it with tap water, like the poor people’. It killed.”
Even though the CCC is no longer performing together, they hope to inspire more comedians to talk about the climate crisis in their work. “It’s important to find ways to keep the conversation going,” said Richardson. “And if we can do that with a few laughs, then we’re doing something right.”
Perhaps one day, we’ll all be able to laugh at climate change. But until then, we’ll just have to settle for laughing a little…ish.
