The Waterfront Alliance is honored to recognize Chuck Nice, a veteran comic, multi-hyphenate entertainer, and Waterfront Alliance board member, as a 2025 Hero of the Harbor.
Nice is the rare comedian who is almost as concerned with effective climate messaging as he is with being hilarious. Whether he’s touring his stand-up, co-hosting the StarTalk podcast with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, or making one of his myriad other public appearances, Nice remains committed to advocating for climate action in an uproarious way, illustrating how an irreverent message about a critical issue can viscerally connect with a crowd.
We sat down with Nice for a funny and insightful chat, wherein he waxed at length on an array of topics that currently occupy his highly creative mind. Here’s what he had to say:
On aligning with the Alliance:
Waterfront resiliency is one of the best things we can focus on. Rise 2 Resilience and WEDG, especially, are pioneering and groundbreaking.
Before I landed on the board, I was doing climate work on my own; I’d started an organization called ‘Shhh…It’s Real.’ But I hadn’t realized how difficult it can be to get traction on something like this unless you’re a non-profit with substantial resources.
At some point, I was asked to say a few words at a Waterfront Alliance event, where I stood up and spoke for maybe four minutes, tops. When everything was over, people were constantly approaching me asking “how can we get in contact with you?” or “how can we collaborate?”
What I was trying to get that audience to see — and what I’m still trying to get everyone to see — is that communications is probably the most neglected aspect of climate advocacy, despite being without a doubt the most important component. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing — nobody cares if they don’t know that you’re doing it.
So, I went out to dinner or grabbed a coffee with board members on a few occasions, and I had no idea that they were considering me for membership. I just thought they wanted to talk about climate, and I’ll meet with anybody under any circumstances to talk about climate.
When they did ask me to join, I was concerned at first that I wouldn’t have the bandwidth. But then they started talking about all of the things I’m passionate about — namely how, if we do not adequately confront climate change, we simply will not have a waterfront. The board seemed really adamant about shifting its energy behind climate issues, so here I am.
On beating the heat:
It recently clicked with me how intrinsically tied heat is with health, because humans are not acclimated to adapt to heat very quickly. We acclimate to heat over a period of time, which is why people who live in an area where there are four distinct seasons are more prone to heart attacks or emergency room visits during a sudden onset of heat.
This is one of the many perils of climate change. Heat is responsible for more deaths than any other weather-related event. Unfortunately, climate scientists refer to these as “extreme weather climate attribution events,” and many people change the channel before they even get to “attribution.”
I have a joke about changing the conversation: maybe we should just let Black people from the South do the weather:
“We go now live to our climate correspondent for an in-depth report:
‘GODD*MN IT’S HOT! And it’s only gonna get HOTTER!”
And that’s it, because that’s how people actually connect with this.
It’s pretty wild how every aspect of our being is now tied to climate change. And, unfortunately, we are living under probably the most ill-equipped, ignorant, denial-driven administration there’s ever been, not only in respect to climate, but ecology in general and the environment as a whole.
But you gotta keep fighting.
On messaging effectively against misinformation:
I talk about climate sometimes onstage, and occasionally I’ll do an entire show devoted to climate change. And I will encounter people who are palpably skeptical of climate science, because this current administration and the Republican Party as a whole have taken an oppositional stance in order to appease their largest donor, the fossil fuel industry. So, you make a joke about climate, or say something where you’re on the side of taking action, and someone will audibly groan, or call out.
These people are in informational bubbles where they’re constantly hearing about and having reaffirmed the belief that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by scientists looking to line their pockets with research money. And I cannot express to you how ridiculous that is, because I know a ton of climate scientists, and believe me — none of them are at the club making it rain. (Yes, that was a climate joke.)
But it’s also not a simple issue to grasp. Which is why I try to use comedy and entertainment to bring the perils of what awaits to the fore — but not in a doom and gloom kind of way. If you get people to laugh about these things first, then think about them later, maybe they’ll open themselves up to receiving more information.
Unfortunately, another thing we compete with is a growing disdain for expertise that has somehow flourished in this country, where people who actually know what they’re talking about count for nothing, while influencers — someone an audience trusts — can convince people that something is actually still unproven, or flat-out deny a reality. So, it’s a big problem — scientists who devote their entire lives to studying climate patterns across thousands of years, and plot the climate for thousands of years… people will look at them and go “well how do we know that they know what they’re talking about?”
So we need to figure out how to aggregate and repeat climate change messaging until it becomes like an advertising jingle. I have the Empire Carpet phone number memorized, I’ve heard it so much. Advertisers do this so that, when you’re in the market for a product that they offer, you immediately think of their brand. So, I think that what we need to do with climate change is make our own noise so that when the spark hits a person’s brain, they’re primed to act. That’s what I want. I want to put out enough information that is first and foremost entertaining, so the audience doesn’t even realize they’re learning until later.
On incorporating issue-based beliefs into art and entertainment:
The moment you start talking about any issue, you alienate a subset of people. I don’t care if it’s women’s rights, politics — even if you’re arguing that we all should be LESS political, you’re alienating somebody. The key is to focus on the thing you’re good at, that represents you, in a way that also expresses those interests.
But if you’re already established, I’d recommend finding a way to get involved and use your platform to help out — to bring voice to your pet issue. Especially if you’re smart enough to understand that issue and its relevance. Because you’re needed. Nobody is listening to the up-and-comers. The people who have already established a platform are who we need — but too often they don’t want to be seen as political.
Of course, climate change specifically is not a political issue! It’s an issue being politicized by the people perpetuating the problem. It’s insidious, but it’s also deviously genius. If I’m running around setting fires, I want to ensure that the fire department is as politically polarizing as possible, so I can get you on my side against fire departments. We don’t need no water, let the mf’er BURN! I feed you a message politically to persuade you to deny what must be done, because what needs to be done harms me, the arsonist. And that’s exactly what fossil fuel companies are doing.
On what’s next for him:
I have a special coming out this fall titled ‘Chuck Nice: Just Smart Enough.’ I call it “d*ck jokes and data.” It’s the regular comedy I always do, just with added science.
And I don’t know if I have time to do this, but I’m gonna try anyway… I’m going to start a mini-podcast on climate. People don’t care enough to regularly listen to long-form content. But a tighter, shorter, show — that’s what I’m working on for the fall. Hopefully during Climate Week I’ll be able to generate some support and go from there with a weekly mini-pod that aims to put listeners together with organizations that align with their specific interests — nudge them to get involved.
On being named a Hero of the Harbor:
I’m humbled anytime anyone even acknowledges what I do. To be honest, I’m somewhat uncomfortable being acknowledged for anything other than being funny.
Even when someone approaches me after a comedy show and says “man, you’re a really smart comic,” all i can think is “okay but what else? Please continue that statement!” All I really care about is that I’m funny.
That said, I appreciate it whenever someone recognizes that the efforts I’m making are worthy of that recognition. I’m also a little embarrassed, because it makes me feel as if I’m not doing nearly as much as I should. So all I can say is thank you, and then step up my efforts and do some more.
Want to meet Chuck Nice at the Heroes of the Harbor gala? Purchase your tickets here!
