It might be hard to grasp why some people don’t seem to care about nature or climate change, but for many, life is busy and already full of challenges and priorities. We have also become so disconnected from the natural world that it can be easy to forget that it’s essential to our existence. Unfortunately, just telling people why climate and nature matter, is unlikely to get them to change their mind or their habits. In fact, scare tactics have been shown to switch people off more than get them on board.
To help you improve your approach to talking to your friends, family or colleagues, our training team have drawn on their shared experience to create their five top tips for communicating about nature and climate change.
1. Focus on what’s possible, rather than what isn’t
Create a positive vision of a thriving future, and encourage people to share their own vision – storytelling can be a great tool for this.
2. Appeal to people’s better self and encourage empathy
Most people want to be healthy and happy and would like the same for their family and friends – so highlight the tangible benefits of taking action on climate change.
3. Remember the importance of listening
When communicating about climate change, what you hear is as important as what you say. Understanding why someone thinks the way they do will help you engage with them more effectively.
4. Find some common ground
Avoid polarising arguments or rhetoric that can lead to ‘us and them’ or ‘everybody else’ thinking. Instead, highlight the things we have in common.
5. Normalise positive behaviours
We tend to respond to things we see our peers doing, so provide some real, positive examples of how others are taking action.
If you want to know more? Check out these useful resources.
To read:
To watch:
- Colli Cymru i’r Môr – three-part series on iPlayer and S4C Clic looking at climate change in Wales and further afield. It’s presented in Welsh with English subtitles.
To listen:
- Podcast ‘The imam who reached out to rioters’ (Today in Focus) with the imam Adam Kennewick is an incredible example of using depolarising communication techniques in an extreme or even life-threatening situation.
To learn:
- The Branding for Biodiversity toolkit from Futerra is a great resource for anyone working on campaigns, policies, or any type of communication work related to nature recovery.
- Explore Climate Action Wales’ public campaign raising awareness of simple and effective changes we can all take to facilitate positive action.
You can also learn how to talk to people about climate change or the nature emergency as part of our Carbon Literacy or Nature Wise training courses.
