GET PEOPLE TALKING

Getting people interested in talking about climate change can be tricky, even if you start with people who share similar values. You may care a lot about climate change, be aware of the basic science of climate change and what people need to do to address it. But how can you communicate this effectively?  

This is a question that has been the focus of quite a lot of research over the past few years. Much of this work has targeted climate scientists who sometimes need help learning how to communicate their research findings in a way that will inspire people to take action, rather than scare them off or bore them!  However, the basic principles of how to communicate about climate change effectively can also help you with your efforts to engage people in conversations.  

The Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED) guide, “The Psychology of Climate Change Communication” provides a great summary of these basic principles:

• Know your audience: first, identify your target “audience”. This could be your family, peers at school, or a youth group you belong to. Then, do some thinking about what  they like, don’t like, their values, their lifestyle, etc.

• Get your audience’s attention: frame your message around something that will interest them, (e.g. fashion, sports or community).

• Translate scientific data into concrete experience: use vivid imagery and engaging personal stories to make data more memorable and impactful.

• Beware the overuse of emotional appeals: people have limited capacity to worry about things. Instead, try providing people with a list of actions that are simple, doable, and cumulative.

• Address scientific & climate uncertainties: a lot is understood about climate change but scientists are always working to understand more. The Precautionary Principle holds that action should be taken if you know there is a risk to human life and biodiversity - we don’t need 100% certainty.

• Tap into social identities and affiliations: Leveraging your audience’s affiliation with social or cultural groups can help support group goals or cooperation. It’s ok to have fun!

• Encourage group participation: If you organize a gathering of people for a conversation, make sure you create space for everyone to feel comfortable and have a voice.

• Make behavior change easier: If you want your climate conversation to result in some kind of action or behaviour change (e.g. a new school system for dealing with food waste, or a campaign to get people to turn off lights) put in place systems that remove barriers and provide motivation. Make it easy and convenient for people for change their habits.
  
  

Knowing your audience is the first step and of critical importance. For example, if your target audience is a community that relies on flying to keep in touch with family abroad, it would be inappropriate and undermine your message to ask them to help climate change by limiting flying, and giving up these important community connections.  Think carefully about what behaviour change and communication methods are best suited to each of your target audiences.

• Talk to your family: have everyone in your group try engaging their families in a conversation around things they could do to reduce their carbon footprint.  Tell them about TransformTO.

• Try out a carbon footprint calculator together with your family or friends - many of these tools provide ideas for reducing your carbon footprint. This exercise can also provide scope for interesting conversations about the bigger issues of systemic change to get our economy off fossil fuels.

• Talk informally to friends:  start with things that matter to you like (e.g., music, fashion, nature, sports).  Do some research to find role models or interesting projects within these areas of interest that are helping the climate and share these stories with your friends.

• Organize a lunch and learn series at school, on the weekends with friends or the community, or online. Have someone present a story or idea and then invite people to talk about it.  

• Invite parents and other community members to an in-person or virtual event to introduce community members (e.g. parents, business owners, faith leaders) to TransformTO or share ideas for climate action 

• Set up a banner in a prominent place in the school for people to share ideas about climate change and climate action

• Create a series of thought (and conversation) provoking school PA announcements related to climate action (or make videos to use on school displays). Use humour! Follow up with students to see if anyone was listening and talking about them. 

• Visit local businesses and talk to the managers/owners about how they are helping the environment. Find out what they know about TransformTO and how they can help.

• Organize an interview with a leader within your community (e.g. the principal, local politicians, members of the student council, faith group leaders) to find out what they think about climate change and climate action. 

Here are a few useful resources that can help you deepen your understanding of how to have effective climate conversations and give you some ideas on how to plan your action. The resources included in the Climate Change in Toronto section of this guide could be referred to when hosting an online or in-person gathering.

350.org’s Climate Justice Teach-In Toolkit

The international climate action organization 350.org has developed a toolkit to help Canadians of any age host and run their own online teach-ins. These tools could also be used to support in-person events post-pandemic. 

CliMate Climate Conversation Coach

If you want a bit of help learning how to have non-confrontational and productive climate conversations, the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) has the perfect tool to help you out! Their Chatbot works on Facebook Messenger and it is designed to teach users how to stop arguing and start understanding people, to cultivate empathy and keep conversations productive. 

Climate Solutions 101 

Project Drawdown’s Climate Solutions video series

CoolClimate Network Household Calculator

Online carbon footprint calculators can provide a useful springboard for conversations around the carbon emissions associated with many aspects of our lifestyle from energy use to food choices to waste production and transportation.

Future Ground Network

This network launched by the David Suzuki Foundation in January 2021 exists to provide training and resources to emerging and experienced local grassroots groups to amplify their impact on the issues that matter most to their communities. 

How to talk about climate change: 5 tips from the front lines

Tips for talking about climate change from the World Economic Forum. 

Katharine Hayhoe (TED Talk)

In this TED Talk, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains that the most important thing you can do to fight climate change is to talk about it.

The Psychology of Climate Change Communication Guide

This guide was created for scientists, journalists, educators, political aides, and the interested public to support climate change communication.

The #TalkingClimate Handbook by Climate Outreach 

This handbook, produced by the UK-based non-profit organization Climate Outreach, provides guidance on how to have productive conversations with people around the issue of climate change.