Lost in Translation: Why the UN’s Brilliant Technical Work Fails to Make Real-World Impact (and How to Fix It)

After more than 30 years of working on human rights, education, climate adaptation, resilience, and biodiversity, I’ve seen it over and over: UN bodies and international organizations put out some of the most technically sound, data-rich reports and side events in the world. Yet, they often miss the mark. These meticulously crafted reports and displays rarely make it out of the conference rooms and into the hands and minds of people who need them most — like local communities, the private sector, and even policy decision-makers in governments. Instead of spurring real action, they end up as dust collectors on a shelf.

Why? Because many of these reports and events are so filled with jargon, technical language, and dense data that they become inaccessible and, sometimes, irrelevant. Here's why it's happening — and how we can stop it.

The UN’s Communication Conundrum: A Technical Overload

Let’s face it, the UN is exceptional at creating frameworks, guidelines, and detailed research papers, but too often these are written for niche experts rather than the broader audience that needs to use them. Picture this: A biodiversity report highlights the genetic variation in plants crucial for ecosystem health. But what’s a local farmer supposed to do with that? It doesn't offer them clear, actionable steps to help their crops or their livelihood.

Exhibit A: The Aichi Biodiversity Targets

Take the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, aimed at halting global biodiversity loss between 2010 and 2020. The science was impressive, but the messaging? Not so much. The complexity of the targets left many governments, businesses, and local communities scratching their heads, unclear on what they could or should do to help meet them. By the end of 2020, most of these targets were missed. Why? Because the technical brilliance didn’t translate into a simple, effective “call to action” for non-experts.

What We Can Learn: Keep It Simple and Relatable

What’s the solution? The answer lies in transforming complex scientific data into language and ideas that everyone can grasp and, more importantly, act on. Here’s how we can make it happen:

1. Use Plain Language This seems obvious, but it’s often overlooked. We need to say things in a way people can actually understand. For example, instead of saying "Provisioning services of wetlands include groundwater recharge and biodiversity conservation," we could say, "Wetlands store water and help protect wildlife, which benefits your crops and environment." See the difference? One feels like homework; the other makes sense.
2. Engage Stakeholders Early When you bring communities, governments, and the private sector in at the start, they can offer insights and ideas you may not have considered. It also helps them feel invested in the project from the get-go, instead of waiting until they’re handed a 200-page report full of technical jargon at the end.
3. Tailor Messages to Different Audiences Not everyone cares about biodiversity or climate change for the same reasons. A business might focus on profit and risk, while a community will likely care about livelihoods and sustainability. Craft your message based on what matters most to each group. In the Amazon, for instance, the benefits of biodiversity could be communicated differently to farmers (medicinal plants, ecotourism) versus businesses (ecosystem services like soil fertility).
4. Tell Stories, Not Just Facts Humans are hardwired for storytelling. Data is important, but people connect to stories. Share the tale of a farmer who saved his land with sustainable practices, or a community that protected its forest from deforestation. When you tie these narratives into data, people can see how the issues directly impact their lives.

Case Study: A Missed Opportunity in Climate Action

Let’s take the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C climate target as another example. The goal was clear: limit global warming to 1.5°C. But the “how” was a big, confusing mess for most businesses, governments, and communities. What does “net zero” even mean for a small business or a local government? Without tailored, actionable steps, many countries set targets that were vague at best.

Imagine how different the outcomes could have been if the scientific community had focused on industry-specific, region-specific actions that businesses, policymakers, and communities could implement immediately.

So, How Can We Fix This?

The technical expertise at the UN and similar organizations is incredible — and absolutely necessary. But we have to make sure that knowledge isn’t just reserved for the experts. It needs to be understandable and actionable for the people who have the power to implement it. Here’s a quick rundown of what we can do:

• Simplify your message: If your report can’t be understood by the average person, it’s not ready for wide release.
• Involve stakeholders early: Don’t just consult; collaborate with those affected by the project from the start.
• Tailor your message to different audiences: What motivates a farmer, a policymaker, and a CEO is different — make sure you’re speaking to what matters to each.
• Tell compelling stories: Data is important, but stories are what people remember and act on.

By focusing on clearer, more inclusive communication, the UN and other international organizations can ensure that their technical brilliance makes the jump from paper to practice, sparking the real-world change we desperately need.

In Conclusion: Less Jargon, More Action

Technical reports filled with dense language and complex data might win the approval of fellow experts, but if they don’t lead to action on the ground, what’s the point? In a world racing against the clock to combat climate change and protect biodiversity, we can’t afford for our most critical messages to get lost in translation.

So folks , let’s simplify the way we communicate and make sure the brilliant work of the scientists, researchers, and policymakers gets used where it counts — in the fields, on the streets, and in the boardrooms.

Example of big-stakes communications - lost in translation by large...

When Economic Communications and the Explosions Move Mountains: How Bioindustries Can Lead the Charge

The power of economic transformation can move mountains, both literally and metaphorically. When the potential for profit, innovation, and sustainability align, industries and entire sectors can revolutionize the way we approach environmental challenges. In fact, nothing mobilizes global efforts faster than demonstrating how conservation and biodiversity efforts can yield tangible economic benefits. One shining example of this lies in the emerging bioindustry sector.

The Bioindustry Revolution: Merging Economy and Ecology

The bioindustry—the use of biological resources for economic purposes—has rapidly grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry, with sectors like biotechnology, bioenergy, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture leading the way. The bioeconomy is an excellent example of how leveraging biodiversity can drive economic growth while contributing to environmental sustainability.

Example: Amazon Bioeconomy

In the Amazon Basin, historically underdeveloped regions have long been ravaged by deforestation and illegal logging, threatening biodiversity and local communities. However, the emergence of bio-based industries—such as the sustainable harvesting of acai berries, Brazil nuts, and medicinal plants—has created a new economic narrative. By investing in biodiversity as a resource for bioindustries, governments and private enterprises have unlocked new revenue streams for local communities, creating incentives to conserve forests rather than exploit them unsustainably.

Impact: This economic boom has motivated governments and businesses to invest in biodiversity conservation initiatives, thus protecting millions of hectares of rainforest. The bioeconomy of the Amazon is now seen as one of the key solutions to deforestation, illustrating how economic incentives can lead to large-scale environmental conservation.

Economic Power Moving Policy Mountains

This example of the Amazon bioeconomy shows how an economic explosion around biodiversity can shift the conversation from technical reports to real-world action. Private sector investments, driven by the demand for bio-based products, compel governments to adapt policies that protect ecosystems. It’s no longer just about carbon credits or abstract biodiversity indicators—it’s about showing how protecting the forest puts food on the table for millions of people.

Moving Mountains Through Communication: The Role of Bioindustry

Here’s how lessons from the bioindustry revolution can be applied to improve UN advocacy and biodiversity initiatives:

1. Speak the Language of Profit: Many stakeholders, particularly in the private sector, respond to economic incentives. Demonstrating how biodiversity conservation can fuel industry growth—whether through bio-based pharmaceuticals, sustainable agriculture, or eco-tourism—can turn theoretical conservation goals into practical, profitable ventures. An example? Showing how businesses can benefit from the sustainable use of genetic resources, creating biotech innovations, while ensuring the protection of ecosystems.
2. Simplify the Message for Policymakers: Economic examples like the Amazon bioindustry resonate better with policymakers than technical jargon. Showing how biodiversity can be leveraged for job creation and economic growth is far more impactful than delivering dense reports filled with metrics on "species richness" or "genetic resource management."
3. Involve Communities and Create Economic Buy-in: Communities are more likely to engage in conservation efforts when they see direct benefits. Local industries built around biodiversity, such as small-scale sustainable agriculture or forest-based products, empower communities to protect their environment. This economic buy-in can "move mountains" far more effectively than top-down technical solutions.
4. Use the Private Sector as a Lever: Governments often lack the capacity to act quickly on biodiversity goals. However, when businesses see economic value in biodiversity (whether in pharmaceuticals, bioenergy, or agriculture), they can rapidly mobilize capital and influence policymakers. Private sector interest can be a powerful lever in shifting national and global policies toward more sustainable practices.

Conclusion: Unleashing the Power of Economics in Biodiversity Communication

The lesson here is clear: Economic potential can move mountains. If the UN and global organizations want their biodiversity and climate messages to resonate, they need to stop relying solely on technical reports and start speaking the language of profit and prosperity. As shown by the bioindustry in the Amazon, when biodiversity is treated as an economic asset, it motivates governments, businesses, and communities to act.

For the UN, this means rethinking how to communicate its goals—not in abstract policy language, but through real-world examples of economic and social benefits that everyone can understand. By harnessing the power of economics, they can truly drive the change needed to save the planet’s biodiversity.