In this episode Dan Jørgensen talks to American actor and comedian Rainn Wilson. He is perhaps best known for playing Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom “The Office” which has earned him three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. But Rainn Wilson is also strongly engaged in climate activism, and he works tirelessly to raise awareness of global warming.
Wilson and Jørgensen crack a couple of jokes and discuss how humor can be used in the fight against climate change and what people can do to make a difference – whatever their trade or profession. They also discuss why Rainn Wilson changed his name to “Rainfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels Wilson” before the international climate negotiations last year at COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheik.
They talk about the different climate initiatives that Wilson is advocating. Wilson is an advisory board member of the Arctic Basecamp, created by Professor Gail Whiteman, whom Wilson mentions in the podcast. They attended the annual World Economic Forum in Davos to speak “science to power” and launched the Arctic Risk Platform to create awareness of the disturbing effects of rising temperatures and climate change already evident on the Arctic ice sheet in Greenland.
Wilson has been engaged in a sweeping range of projects, from hosting the Saturday Night Live show to founding SoulPancake, a digital media company that explores life’s big questions as part of his search for clarity.
Wilson also hosts the Youtube Series: An Idiots Guide to Climate Change.
He was also part of the TED Countdown for COP26 in Glasgow where he asked other comedians: “Can climate change ever be funny?”.