Climate Change Messaging

“Our messaging is not working” Enrique Ortiz, a veteran conservationist and founding member of the Andes Amazon Fund, has spent decades translating the complexities of ecosystems into action. But in his recent commentary for Mongabay, he issues a striking critique—not of science itself, but of how it’s conveyed. “Facts are not the most important part,” Ortiz writes. “The current narrative needs a re-thinking.” That rethinking, he argues, begins not with more data, but with deeper insight into how people process information, make decisions, and respond emotionally to the world around them. Ortiz’s concern is not that people are unaware of climate change. In fact, the majority of the global population acknowledges it. But many remain unmoved, caught in a web of abstract language, ideological filters, and emotional distance. Scientific accuracy, while essential, often falters in the face of cognitive and cultural barriers. Ortiz points to the findings of cognitive scientists and neuroscientists: facts rarely shift belief systems. Instead, people gravitate toward stories, experiences, and social cues. “When facing uncertainty,” he notes, “humans make decisions that are satisfactory, rather than optimal.” This disconnect, Ortiz argues, is especially clear in environmental communication. Words like “rewilding,” “green,” or “ecological” may have once inspired clarity, but have since become muddled through overuse or conflicting interpretations. Worse, they sometimes trigger skepticism or backlash. In this fog of abstraction, the human connection is lost. What’s needed, Ortiz suggests, is a new narrative strategy—one that harnesses the emotional power of stories and speaks to how people actually think and feel. He draws from his own experience as an educator: while his lectures on plant-animal interactions faded from memory, it was the stories that lingered. This phenomenon, known as “narrative transportation,” isn’t mere sentimentality. It’s a neurological reality that helps ideas stick—and decisions shift. Rather than continuing to warn of catastrophe, Ortiz believes we should share stories of adaptation and resilience. From Andean farmers modifying how they grow quinoa and potatoes, to everyday consumers making environmentally conscious choices, these narratives offer agency and hope. They bridge divides and foster shared values. “Our messaging is not working,” Ortiz writes bluntly. “We need a revolution in narratives—and in how we tell them.” That revolution may begin not in the lab or the newsroom, but in the quiet space where empathy meets understanding—and where change can finally take root. 📰 His piece: https://lnkd.in/gmrWBcc5 📸 Hoatzin. My photo.

Sustainability marketing and sustainable marketing are often considered the same thing but they are not. As Paul Randle would often say in our workshops 'Sustainability marketing is dead!'. Sustainability marketing is communicating your company's wider sustainability plans. Sustainable marketing is embedding sustainability into every single aspect of your function from branding and strategy to tactics, governance, and most importantly how you define success. Sustainability marketing is very faddy and sits perfectly with marketing's obsessions with trends. It came in, everyone became obsessed with it and now people are saying does it really matter? Well, I can completely see why. Brands are being pulled across the embers left, right and centre for greenwashing, socialwashing, purposewashing, lacking sincerity, lacking authenticity, lacking integrity, and most importantly not being considered trustworthy. And why is this happening? Firstly you have marketing teams who do not understand sustainability and secondly, you have a marketing function that despite communicating sustainability plans, continues to use business-as-usual (BAU) channels, toolkits, branding strategies, and planning, etc which continues to lead to mass overconsumption, inadequacy marketing, funding of misinformation, ad fraud, driving debt up, driving suicide rates up, complete lack of contextual care when targeting customers, enormous operational carbon footprints and waste streams and a detrimental brainprint (to name but a few). These problems won't go away unless we properly embed sustainable marketing thinking. We need to not only communicate sustainability but we need to act, feel, be, do it as well. Taking this approach has its benefits as well, it will enable brands to: - Stay ahead of the legislation ramping up - Help companies hit their Scope 3 emission reduction targets - Offer a long-term competitive edge - Drive efficiencies up and thus saving costs - Deepen connections with customers I know I live and breathe this space but I really see no other option but to take the sustainable marketing route. It just makes business sense plus you will have a team that is fully engaged because they know they are no longer being part of the problem. #marketing #advertising #sustainabilitymarketing #sustainablemarketing

Sustainability Communication Essentials 🌍 Effective communication is pivotal in translating corporate sustainability efforts into meaningful impact. It not only educates but also engages various stakeholders, ensuring that the initiatives are not just seen but also acted upon. This process begins by grounding communication in scientifically sound principles and extends through redefining corporate norms, altering behaviors, and advocating for broader policy shifts. Leading with science ensures that businesses base their sustainability claims and strategies on robust, evidence-based information. Clear and transparent communication methods empower stakeholders to make informed decisions, which is essential for integrating sustainable practices effectively across business operations. Redefining values within the corporate sphere involves highlighting new role models who redefine what success looks like in a sustainable society. Employing inclusive marketing strategies that emphasize the environmental, cultural, and social benefits of sustainable practices can significantly alter stakeholder perceptions and behaviors towards sustainability. Transforming behaviors and practices is about shifting the corporate focus away from promoting unnecessary consumption towards advocating for practical, sustainable solutions. This approach not only helps in reducing the environmental footprint but also sets a new standard for operational efficiency and responsibility in daily business practices. Driving advocacy involves mobilizing public support and influencing policy changes, which are critical for scaling sustainability efforts beyond individual organizations. Engaging with policymakers and industry leaders to advocate for systemic changes ensures that sustainability becomes a standard consideration in industry-wide practices and regulations. In conclusion, for businesses committed to sustainability, the effectiveness of their communication strategy can determine their impact. By focusing on these key areas, companies can not only ensure compliance with sustainability standards but also lead in the transformation towards a more sustainable business landscape. This strategic approach to communication encourages a culture of sustainability that aligns with global goals and garners genuine stakeholder engagement. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange #climateaction #impact #strategy

Death by Carbon Count. Murdered by Metrics. Spent Saturday morning in the supermarket. Not shopping for groceries. Hunting for proof. Proof that sustainability doesn't have to hide in a 200-page report or get lost in a spreadsheet jungle. I was benchmarking. Looking for brands getting it right, right there on-shelf. Recycled content worn like a badge. Carbon savings turned into conversation starters. Supply chains told as stories worth reading. Earlier that week, I'd sat through a sustainability presentation what might've been the driest sustainability presentation known to man. My mind drifted... Slide after slide of numbers that all blurred together. (anyone that knows me, knows I'm not a numbers person!). Then one simple infographic popped up. A town rebuilding after a storm. Suddenly I wasn't reading data. I was there. That's the power of visual storytelling. And that's exactly what belongs on-pack. Because if sustainability only lives in a strategy deck, it won't reach the people it needs to. It has to show up where it counts. On screen. On shelf. In hand. Consumers don't connect with decimals. But they remember the juice bottle that paired its footprint with its flavour. The chocolate box that gave a factory a face. That's sustainability with a pulse. Told at eye level. Every brand has the data. Recycled content. Sourcing claims. Emission charts. Few turn those numbers into something you can see, feel, or understand at a glance. That's your opportunity. Start with communicating the aim. What's the story? Plastic-free future? Circular design? Local impact? Add then these to the pack in a simple, engaging way. Spell things out. Then show the Actors. The growers. The drivers. The factory floor. Put people on the pack, not just percentages. Frame the Aspiration. Kitchens where scraps become tomorrow's meal. Beaches without litter. Gardens with bees. Paint the picture. Vividly. Visuals stick. Corny but true. Get it right, and your packaging doesn't just exist. It engages, educates and builds trust. What's your packaging saying right now? Message clear, or lost in the bin? _______________________________ Kicking off hashtag#30WildPackagingWins. I'll be posting an example of sustainable packaging every day this month in the run-up to the Sustainable Packaging Summit 📅 When: 10th–12th November 2025 📍 Where: Utrecht, Netherlands If you're into new ideas, new materials, new formats, and the occasional curveball, follow along. Thinking of joining the summit? Use LISAC20 for 20% off tickets. Details in the comments. Hope to see you there! #SPS2025 #SustainablePackagingSummit

As marketers, we've been sold a myth: that consumers will prioritize sustainability above all else. But what if that's not true? 📚 Research by Andreas Gathen, Nicolai Broby Eckert, and Caroline Kastbjerg of Simon-Kucher shows that even the most well-intentioned consumers struggle to make sustainable choices. So, what's the real solution for marketers? 🤔 Reflect on this: 1️⃣ How do you currently incorporate sustainability into your marketing strategy, and what challenges do you face? 2️⃣ What role do you think marketing plays in driving sustainability, and how can you leverage your influence? 3️⃣ How can you create marketing campaigns that support sustainable choices, rather than relying on consumer willpower? 💡 Tips for Marketers: 👉 Focus on benefits, not just features: Instead of just highlighting the sustainable features of your product or service, focus on the benefits it provides to consumers. 👉 Use social norms to drive behavior: Highlight how others are making sustainable choices, and use social norms to drive behavior. 👉 Make sustainability convenient: Make sustainable choices easy and convenient for consumers, rather than expecting them to make sacrifices. 👉 Lead by example: Use your marketing platform to promote sustainability and lead by example. 👉 Measure and optimize: Measure the impact of your sustainability marketing efforts and optimize your strategy accordingly. 🚀 Try These Mindset Shifts: ✅ From "Sustainability is a niche market" to "Sustainability is a business imperative." ✅ From "Consumers will prioritize sustainability" to "Consumers need to be incentivized to make sustainable choices." ✅ From "Sustainability marketing is about features" to "Sustainability marketing is about benefits." #marketingstrategy #consumerbehavior #thoughtleadership #thethoughtleaderway

How do you talk about sustainability and climate issues in your company? If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to make sustainability resonate with your team, you’re not alone. At Microsoft, for example, they’ve found that speaking the right "language" makes all the difference. Being a tech company, their conversations around sustainability are deeply rooted in a quantitative, data-driven approach after all, they’re engineers at heart. They use the same principles that drive their technology to frame sustainability risks and opportunities. But what if your company isn’t full of engineers? Every organization speaks its internal language, whether that’s the analytical mindset of finance, the creativity of marketing, or the operations-driven approach of manufacturing. Tailoring sustainability messaging to align with these unique perspectives can bridge the gap, making it easier for employees to see how it connects to what they do every day. One thing is clear across all industries though: the language of science is essential. Whether you're talking to your marketing team, engineers, or executives, scientific facts are the backbone of any meaningful conversation about sustainability. Data on carbon footprints, climate risks, and environmental impacts provide a foundation everyone can work with. According to the IPCC, we need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 to stay on track with climate goals numbers. Take Unilever, for example. They made sustainability a part of their company culture by translating climate goals into everyday actions for each department. Their marketing team talks about sustainable sourcing, while their R&D team focuses on lowering the carbon footprint of products. By embedding sustainability into every part of the business, Unilever is empowering all employees to contribute, leading to a 32% reduction in their environmental impact. Sustainability isn’t a one-size-fits-all conversation. But when you frame it in terms that make sense to your team, it becomes part of how your business thinks and operates every day. So, how will you start the conversation within your organization?

Sustainability inside a company spreads through ambassadors, not announcements or generic trainings. Here is what the most successful leaders do: They do not start with a company-wide rollout. They do not build another slide deck. And they do not expect a townhall to change behaviour. They start small. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿. They sit with people in their day-to-day roles and make sustainability practical: • What decisions do you make that touch materials, waste or emissions? • What is one process you could tweak tomorrow? • What is actually in your control right now? Most employees want to contribute. They simply have not been shown how their job connects to sustainability. Once someone finds a small step they can own, something powerful happens: They feel proud. They talk about it. Others copy it. That is an ambassador. And one ambassador is worth more than any broadcast message. Momentum in sustainability does not come from reaching everyone at once. It comes from empowering someone and letting their impact spread. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.

Last week, I shared how the word “sustainability” is turning people off in travel and hospitality marketing. The response? Wow. Clearly, this hit a nerve. So here’s the natural next question: If the word is overused (or misunderstood), how do we communicate the mission without losing the message? Here’s what I recommend: 📌 Focus on the feeling, not the label. People want connection, authenticity, and meaningful experiences. Speak to that, not just certifications or jargon. 📌 Tell mini stories. Instead of saying “eco-conscious,” say: “Guests wake up to fresh eggs from our neighbour’s farm, and coffee that directly supports a women-led co-op in Colombia.” Let the details do the work. 📌 Mirror their values. Travelers may not say “I’m looking for a regenerative stay,” but they will say: “I want to go somewhere beautiful, local, and with a purpose behind it.” 📌 You don’t need to use the word sustainability to stand for it. In fact, when done right, your guests will feel it and talk about it, even if you never mention it once. Want to know more? Drop a comment or send me a message. I’m always up for a chat about doing good, in ways that actually resonate.

How can we have productive climate conversations with people who might have different priorities and viewpoints than our own?  Climate Outreach has done extensive research on what resonates with diverse audiences in Alberta, the “Texas of Canada,” as my Albertan husband semi-affectionately calls it. (Hi to my family in Edmonton! <3) These tips apply anywhere for how to approach your audience well, a core tenant of good conversations.  The Alberta Narratives audience report offers tailored language that’s been tested to communicate respectfully and effectively with eight groups: oil sands workers, conservatives, environmentalists, rural Albertans, business leaders, youth, new Canadians, and people of faith.  For example, Climate Outreach suggests focusing on gratitude for hard work and prosperity (not entitlement) when talking to conservatives. For farmers and ranchers, focus on "solutions that make sense within a rural context such as renewable energy”, where solar panels are seen as more realistic than urban-centric biking and electric vehicles. What not to do: don’t make people feel guilty “for who they are and what they care about”. Note that respectfully challenging people requires strong trust (which takes time to build). Any challenges must “be done in a way that supports their sense of shared identity, and suggests that they hold they keys to solutions.” (p. 58) Climate Outreach tested language that was consistently approved across all eight groups, and rejected language that any group strongly disliked, with the goal of building a foundation for shared conversation that does not drive polarization. They offer a sample narrative, which can be adapted for authentic, effective communication. For example, to talk about energy, see their guide below. What are some of your most successful climate conversations? Your most challenging? Let me know in the comments.

How do we make climate communication resonate with the very people it affects the most? 💡 🌎 In my latest essay for Question of Cities, I reflect on this pressing question, drawing on my experience in journalism and storytelling, as well as research and fieldwork in the climate space over the last few years. The article outlines how dominant climate narratives often remain inaccessible, overly technical, and disconnected from everyday lived realities. Some key takeaways: 🔁 1. Translation isn’t enough—localisation matters. Efforts like the UNDP Climate Dictionary are welcome, but we need to go further. People don’t say “Jalvayu Parivartan”—they talk about rain delays, changing festivals, and crop failures. Climate terms must emerge from how people experience change, not how we define it. Climate must be framed as an everyday issue. For most people in India, climate change competes with daily concerns like food, housing, and livelihoods. 📚 2. Storytelling enables agency. We need to shift from policy briefs to bottom-up storytelling, where a fisherwoman in the Sundarbans or a tribal woman in Odisha becomes the knowledge holder. 🎭 3. Embrace diverse media and people’s science. From metaphor-rich language to theatre, dance, and music—creative formats hold emotional and cultural power. Even community-defined terms like “wet drought” offer nuance and should shape climate adaptation strategies. 📰4. Mainstream media must build capacity. At a recent workshop in Maharashtra, we saw how rural reporters struggle to differentiate between climate and weather. There’s little support for them—especially women—to cover these stories. Climate needs to be integrated into all beats, not confined to disaster or weather coverage. 🎯 5. Climate communications is not just outreach—it’s strategy. Too often, communication is underfunded and under-prioritised. But to build inclusive, impact-driven programmes, we must invest in grassroots media literacy, storyteller training, and long-term behavioural change campaigns. 🌏 In the coming years, we will witness a growing wave of efforts to communicate climate change in new and compelling ways as climate becomes centre stage in policy and mainstream narratives. But the real test of these approaches won’t lie in international recognition or polished campaigns. It will lie in how meaningfully they resonate on the ground—in how a coal worker in Jharkhand or a landless labourer in Maharashtra understands, imagines, and navigates a world that is 1.5 degrees C warmer. 🔗 Read the piece here: https://lnkd.in/dGG8ZNZn A big thanks to Smruti Koppikar and Shobha Surin for trusting me with this piece. And of course, this would not be possible without Asar and all the fabulous work that I have got to be a part of in the last 3+ years! #ClimateCommunication #ClimateJustice