Comedy breaks through taboo and uses social critiques to encourage people to feel like they can take action on problems, according to the Climate Comedy Cohort, a joint project between American University's Center for Media & Social Impact and clean-energy nonprofit Generation180. Comedy can motivate feelings of hope and optimism, says Caty Borum, author of The Revolution Will Be Hilarious: Comedy for Social Change and Civic Power. "The goal of the program is not to have comedians tell more scary stories about climate change, but to really dig in on the solutions," she says. Nine comedians took part in a nine-month fellowship to learn about climate science and collaborate on new, climate-related material, producing shorts, touring, and pitching ideas to television networks.

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