We need to talk.
How to have better conversations about our changing planet.
Talking about climate change is hard. But it doesn’t have to be. Nothing good happens when we avoid talking about the realities of this crisis. Conversations are crucial to avoid the “spiral of silence” that can cripple progress. Silence begets silence, and the less we talk about climate change around the kitchen table, the less it is in the public discourse, the less it is talked about in the media, the less governmental action is taken, and down and down we go.
In this politically charged environment where our own government questions basic principles of science, it is more important than ever that we know how to talk about the issues we care about. Especially when that issue is climate change, because the decisions made now will echo for centuries.
(No pressure.)
Climate change is the perfect storm of a communications nightmare. It’s an insidiously complex, politically polarizing and often uninspiring crisis that also happens to threaten the entire planet. Oh, and it’s also driven by a perpetuation of the status quo.
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with inertia.
Just think about it:
- Climate change is abstract as a concept. The driving elements of the problem are literally invisible: Gasses, temperature, feedback loops.
- It’s hard to see your own contribution to the problem because of its global scale, and though impacts are happening right here, right now, many people don’t associate those impacts with climate change. It doesn’t help that we are terrible at risk assessment…
- No one (besides maybe Wayne Tracker…) is intentionally burning greenhouse gases to destabilize the planet. Global warming is the unintended consequence of a global economy powered by fossil fuels. Therefore, the villain is harder to make clear to the public to inspire action.
- We all bear responsibility, especially those of us in the U.S. and other fossil fuel guzzling nations. When we are all guilty, aren’t none of us guilty?
- Climate change is scary! The consequences are severe, potentially catastrophic and therefore frightening. We have a finite pool of worry in our lives and our brains tell us to avoid things we are afraid of. So we avoid climate change like the plague it is.
So yes, climate change is hard to talk about for all of these reasons and more. But don’t fret! There are tools we can employ to be more effective. Below are three easy dos and don’ts when talking to family and friends about climate change:
Do: Tell stories
Don’t: Explain like a scientist
Humans make sense of the world through stories, not numbers or facts. Contrary to popular belief, information is the least important part of communicating climate change. Low scientific literacy is not why people don’t believe in climate change. In fact, conservatives who know a lot about science are more likely to dismiss the scientific consensus. Avoid giving background details on the science and jump right to why people need to care.
To do this well, it is important to use metaphors and real-world anecdotes when communicating about climate change. Be sure to ground people in the “here and now,” not the “if” of specific impacts. People will feel more concerned and be more likely to take action if they feel the immediacy of the problem. When we have the benefit of shifting conversations on climate change from abstract to concrete with real-time stories, we absolutely need to.
Do: Use words everyone understands and stay hopeful
Don’t: Get lost in science jargon or in the apocalypse trap
Assume that no one besides you knows or cares about black carbon aerosols, the importance of the latest Earth Radiation Budget Experiment or any other scientific jargon a 6th grader doesn’t already understand. Jargon kills. That should be the new slogan of climate advocates because no one is moved to outrage by climate jargon. Complicated language is another way climate change is kept distant from people’s lives. When people believe they have experienced climate change firsthand, they are more likely to understand it as a threat and support action.
It is important to stay hopeful and not get lost in dystopian futures. When people see the impacts of climate change, they feel more concerned but also more powerless. Extreme warnings about the impacts of climate change can even be paralyzing.
One way to avoid doom is to start with solutions that match the scope of the problem. Talk about the scale of wind and solar energy investment, and the scale of money being shifted away from fossil fuel investments. Talk about how millennials are more concerned than any other living generation about the future of our planet. Talk about the kids currently suing the federal government in a landmark trial over climate inaction. This will help people feel more powerful and avoid feeling futile. Big problems require big solutions and the solutions to climate change can lead to a better life.
Do: Speak to your values
Don’t: Repeat the language of climate deniers
Using words like “hoax,” “conspiracy” or “global cooling” just ends up reinforcing the opposition’s message. Cognitive scientist George Lakoff tells us that invoking a negative frame only reinforces that frame. Saying for example “climate change is not a hoax” only strengthens the idea that it is a hoax and perpetuates doubt over the scientific consensus. Think of Nixon’s statement: “I’m not a crook.” Avoid negating attacks entirely and focus on positive messages.
(On that note, I would recommend not getting into it with your Uncle Jeff who believes climate change is a conspiracy theory and that the moon landing was staged in Hollywood. Rather, talk with those who are passive or neutral and move them to action. It’s not worth your time and energy to try to convince climate deniers.)
Climate change threatens everything we love about this world. Our homes, our communities and our sense of stability could erode away in extreme weather events and the resulting economic disruption. We need to communicate the values we want to preserve to others. When we talk about wildfires threatening our homes, we need to talk about the pride we feel inheriting the house our grandfather built. When we talk about sea level rise, we need to talk about the joy we feel when fishing with our community. When we talk about heat waves, we need to talk about how this jeopardizes the next generation’s ability to farm on the land and threatens the legacy of our family. These conversations are powerful and can move people to understand the issue in a new way.
So next time you are stuck at holiday dinner with family members or are out with old school friends you haven’t seen in years, talk to them about climate change. Use stories and language everyone can understand and connect it to issues you care about. Communicate what’s at stake, but stay hopeful. (Again, no pressure.)
You got this.
Garrett Blad writes for I Heart Climate Scientists and other publications on climate change, policy and social change. You can follow him @gblad. Giggles are free.
