Helpful tips to improve your climate communications
Five helpful tips to help you communicate more effectively on the the need for climate action.
1. Make it clear who is responsible for the problem 👉 🏭
Excluding the cause makes problems look inevitable and unsolvable.
Don’t Say ❌
- Global temperatures have risen
- Biodiversity loss
- Fares have gone up
Do Say ✅
- Greedy fossil fuel companies are driving damaging climate change
- Industrial food production is destroying wildlife
- Bus companies are overcharging
2. Use terms that make the harm clear 🤕
When we hide the damage, we hide the problem.
It’s not “fuel poverty” – say “people can’t afford to heat their homes”.
It’s a “corporate greed crisis”, not a “cost of living crisis”.
3. Drop the jargon 🚮
The public don’t understand terms like Net Zero, Just Transition, or energy efficiency in the same way you do. Use clearer language, such as “supporting oil workers to use their skills in new greener industry” or “homes that don’t waste energy”.
4. Stick to your own message📢
Don’t repeat what the opposition says. Even when you attempt to challenge a statement, you can accidentally reinforce the negative connections in people’s minds.
Don’t Say ❌
“The problem is not migrants.”
“Achieving Net Zero is not too expensive.”
Do Say ✅
“The problem is billionaires.”
“The path to a greener future is clear.”
5. Motivate with positive values 🫶
Our supporters care about people and the environment, but being reminded of that is motivating to them. We don’t do it enough. Use phrases like:
- “Most people across Scotland want a better future for people and planet.”
- “No matter where we are from, no matter what our background, we all deserve to have a comfortable warm home.”
These tips are a quick summary of a Climate Communications toolkit written by Framing Matters. It is written to help you communicate more effectively about Climate, Energy and Transport. However, the principles set out in the toolkit could easily apply to any issue you work on.
If you find it useful, let us know!