Challenges when talking about climate change…

Short-term vs long-term problems

• For many, it’s a trade-off between short-term and long-term problems. Climate change as a concept struggles to overcome human psychological biases against threats that appear to be distant in time and place. (Although, unfortunately, threats from climate upheaval aren’t that far-off anymore.) Humans are well adapted to respond to immediate threats but slow to accommodate moving change. Climate change is a process not a singular event.

  As a result, many people are not forced to grapple with the specifics of climate change, but rather can treat it as an abstract concept. And abstract concepts simply don’t motivate people to act as forcefully as specific ones do.

Social connections vs science

• People often form (and reinforce) opinions based not on the science, but through social interactions with peers, emotional stories, values, etc. .  We also live in an era with active misinformation on climate change. This is why trust in ‘sources’ is critical.

• We interpret climate change through frames, which focus our attention but limit our understanding – they allow us to exclude or ignore meanings that lie outside the frame.

An overwhelming, even frightening, problem

• The scope of the problem is complicated and overwhelming, and we have to deal with the ‘what on earth can my small contributions really do to help’ response.

• Climate change can be frightening, and lead to ‘fear management’ – if people feel powerless or overwhelmed, they might engage in fear control…discounting the threat, avoiding the issue, or distorting the impact. That’s what we have to counter with solutions, some hope, practical suggestions.

• Stats may be meaningless to many (what does 1 Gwh of power actually mean?). Also, low levels of scientific literacy can diminish understanding of the issues.

Fear of loss

• Many worry that climate change action could lead to loss: loss of jobs, of convenience, of lifestyle. Acting on climate change represents a trade-off between short-term and long-term benefits, which is the hardest trade-off for people to make.

A myriad of reasons for inaction

• It’s important to understand why people aren’t involved in climate change action — or can’t get involved:

  > Lack of awareness/lack of good info

  > Active campaigns of misinformation

  > Cost

  > Location

  > Perceived attitudes (accurate or not) about the issue

  > Immediate threats from inequality

  > Mistrust of authorities, companies

  > Other priorities – or just trying to cope!

  > Lifestyle

  > Complexity paralysis

  > Skepticism, trust issues

  > Lack of power/perceived lack of power

  > Solutions, but not in my back yard

  > Scientific illiteracy

  > Fear of job losses

  > Won’t see impact of solutions until later

Immediate threats from inequality

• If you are in a community facing discrimination, economic barriers, obstacles to political power today… worrying about the future can almost feel like a luxury.

• Climate Change has been called an Inconvenient Truth by former US Vice-President Al Gore. It’s an Inconvenient Environmental Truth, but it’s also an Inconvenient Equity Truth – because those least responsible for climate change are often those most impacted by it.

  In a crisis it is almost always the poorest and most marginalized that suffer the greatest impacts. Inequality, systemic discrimination, unequal educational opportunities, communities that have been exposed to pollution due to environmental racism, locations vulnerable to climate hazards, and limited prospects for economic advancement leads to increased vulnerability to climate change impacts.

• A lack of power and representation in political and economic systems makes it difficult for these communities to get the resources build climate resilience, to prepare and respond to extreme events that occur due to climate change. And as the days get hotter, air conditioning almost becomes a human right, but economically it’s not feasible for everyone to purchase.

• Wealthier communities tend to have more solar panels on their homes, which can reduce the amount these wealthier homeowners pay for power. We need to ensure that those who would benefit the most from solar power has access to it.

Overcoming climate communications barriers…

Climate change is now

• With an issue as large and far-reaching as climate change, we should emphasize that climate change is happening in the here and now – and that we should (and importantly, can) adopt solutions (e.g. the energy efficiency of our homes, changing our driving habits, etc.). And we should make solutions as easy as possible, but not simplistic.

Think global, act local

• We need to recognize those moments that we can take action on (e.g. the energy efficiency of our homes, changing our driving habits, etc.). Exploiting bad news opportunities and weather events also create moments of heightened awareness. (Protecting your property – and the people you care about – could be an entry point for conversation.) And we should make solutions as easy as possible (but not simplistic).

• The ‘drop in a bucket’ argument is a hard one to deal with outside of the usual clichés of ‘it all adds up’, ‘you set an example for others’, etc. You can try to ‘shrink the bucket’ – your drops have a bigger impact in a smaller bucket.

Climate fairness

• We can talk about how our action on climate change does not just protect what is already here (the status quo) but can also open up opportunity for a better society (through, for example, green jobs for youth, acknowledging past cases of environmental racism, creating healthier communities, etc.).

Climate action co-benefits

• Talk about climate co-benefits, beneficial outcomes from action that are not directly related to climate change mitigation. They could include cleaner air, green job creation, public health benefits from active travel, economic fairness, and more green spaces. It can also include talk about the benefits of new technology. For example, energy efficiency at home not only saves money, it means healthier air quality, a cozier home, etc.

Tell stories of hope

• We need to tell better stories about climate solutions. Humans respond to good stories. Canadians are fairly optimistic about technology and climate action, but we can do a better job of showcasing effective solutions. Relate these solutions to sources of happiness, social connections, social identity, and family. Tell some good news stories, some stories of hope. Tell stories of cooperation that can bring people together around a common cause.

Avoid simplicity

• Resist the simple framing of the issue. Be wary of creating false equivalency with the frame of those opposed to climate action. At the same time, we need to be aware of our own frames and keep an open mind. Listen to people who disagree with you, and recognize that they can sometimes be a source of insight.

Acknowledge this is difficult

• We need to build trust. Acknowledge that this is difficult. Be honest about our own roles in climate change, and recognize that solutions aren’t always easy. Understand people’s feelings of anxiety. The truth is that climate change is a far more complicated topic than most other issues.

Connect to values

• Connect climate change actions to the values of any given community. Climate change does not belong just in the cultural domain of environmentalism. Understand peoples’ values and then come up with ways that climate change action can speak to those values. This can include religious values, cultural values, community values, etc. Who the communicator is can be as important as the message. Leadership matters, and the right messenger can move the dial.

• Relate solutions to climate change to sources of happiness, social connections, social identity, and family. Research confirms that people are less motivated by money than we think; money is sometimes a proxy for something else – progress, comfort, security, etc.

Make it about community

• We don’t live in issues or abstract concepts, we live in communities. Belonging is a fundamental and universal human need, and as a result, we often choose to conform to our group. That’s why our friends and family often have far more influence on our view than do experts.

• Before you talk about climate change, find out more about your audience – what are their values, beliefs, hopes, challenges? What are the obstacles they deal with? What makes them proud? These are the insights that will help your communications with them.

Play on pride

• Use strategic peer pressure. For example, push the angle that ‘your community can be a national leader on issue x or y’

Remind people of successful action in the past

• And remind people of successful action in the past. For example, global efforts in the 80s and 90s to address the dramatic thinning of the ozone later in the Earth’s atmosphere. The ozone layer prevents harmful wavelengths of ultraviolet light from passing through the Earth's atmosphere. These wavelengths cause skin cancer, sunburn, permanent blindness, and cataracts, which were projected to increase dramatically as a result of thinning ozone, as well as harming plants and animals.

  The main causes of ozone depletion are manufactured chemicals, including chlorofluorocarbons. What did the world do? It adopted the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which bans the production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals. Ozone levels stabilized by the mid-1990s and began to recover in the 2000s. The ozone hole is expected to reach pre-1980 levels by 2075.

Understand how people view ‘issues’

Before you begin a campaign around climate change, remember these general observations about humans and how we often view issues:

• People are more likely to do things if they see other people doing them, even if it counters what they know is logically correct.  

• People are easily persuaded by other people whom they like or respect. 

• When it comes to problems, the bigger the numbers, sometimes the less people care. 

• People are hardwired to understand our world through emotions and stories, not just facts. Rational, scientific data often loses against a compelling, emotional story that speaks to people’s core values. 

• There is considerable research that shows guilt or shame is not a good long-term strategy to promote change. It’s better to find common ground and start a conversation that could inspire change and highlight opportunity. We need to talk about values that we share, connect the dots to how that matters to climate and how that affects us — and then talk about positive solutions that make our lives better.  

• And trust in the information and its source is an important determinant of perception. (A challenge for our times: it’s very easy to only get information and opinions from like-minded people… i.e. confirmation bias). So…establishing trust is critical. Perceptions must be resolved before audiences can deal with the facts.