Communicating Climate Change to People and Politicians

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? And if the forest burns, and only a few people see it, do we even care?

We need an unstoppable social mandate for climate leadership and action, so maybe it’s time we changed our climate messaging to make it easier for people to understand why they should care.

From a social perspective, and hence a political one as well, the key questions are “what does this mean to me?” and “do I need to worry? Answer these questions, and perhaps we will have our mandate.

For years, our key messaging was that we need to prevent climate change. Keep global warming to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. What is painfully obvious to all (even the deniers) is that we have failed. Climate change is already here: the heat, the fires, the rains and the droughts, and all the extreme weather events. But here’s the problem: unless you are caught up in the middle of a climate event, it seems distant, minor, and manageable. There might be inconveniences, but the weather is still pretty nice, the sun still sets in the evening, and there are all kinds of other issues to keep our minds (and our politicians) busy.

At this level, if there is a cost associated with climate change, governments can absorb it and companies can pass it on. The economy still functions, and the climate can take a back seat to all the other social and economic issues.

In short, climate change is here, but we can deal with it. It’s minor.

The first change in our messaging would be to agree with them. What we are experiencing now is minor… in comparison to what is yet to come. Right now, we can repair buildings and infrastructure, and replant forests and fields. If there is a crop failure somewhere, we can import from elsewhere.? We can even relocate island populations. There is a cost, which we all should pay for, but it is manageable. This is the way people and politicians think.

If climate change were to stop where it is right now, we’d be fine. But it isn’t. And that’s the next part of our messaging: to focus on the future “major” and “catastrophic” impacts of climate change that are yet to come. What we are witnessing now is relatively minor, which is why we need to be “All In” to stop the rate of change before the really bad stuff happens.

• Major climate change: A big part of the transition from minor to major impacts is the frequency and scale of events, both of which can lead to deep and prolonged damage to the environment, food systems, regional economies, and our cost of living. We are already seeing increased frequency and scale of droughts, severe flooding, and extensive forest fires that have far deeper and long-lasting environmental, economic and social costs. The recovery from these events can be measured in years and the economic costs can be significant locally, with ripple effects to the overall cost of living.
• Catastrophic climate change: Continued global warming will result in the irreversible collapse of ecosystems and ecological processes. The warning signs are evident in the shrinking polar ice, ocean temperatures, extreme heat, and shifting precipitation patterns. Radical changes, perhaps even the collapse of ecological processes and ecosystems on a global level, will have major impacts on food systems, the global economy, natural and human habitats, and species viability. This is the future of economic and social uncertainty none of us want to imagine.

Dividing climate change into three categories will have a profound impact on how we can build the social mandate to support climate leadership:

1. It makes clear that climate change is already here. Denial is irrelevant.
2. It shows that the impacts we are seeing now are manageable, but they are just the beginning. Left unchecked, climate change will change everything.
3. The very first thing we all need to do is care: for the planet that is our home, and for each other. If we care, we will act.
4. As a society, we need to demonstrate our commitment to climate action and leadership. A strong social mandate empowers leadership.
5. Governments and businesses need to redouble their efforts to reach net-zero emissions, invest in climate resilience, and help communities and people adopt climate solutions. Strong climate leadership empowers us all.

For more ideas on marketing climate change and building an unstoppable climate movement, go to https://climatearrows.net.