How to Talk About Climate Change so People will Listen.

The 51 Percent Project identifies confirmed principles of climate communication from the experts. Sarah Finnie created the initiative in 2019 to explore best practices for communicating about climate change. Her award-winning work centers on ways to improve enthusiastic support for solutions at the speed and scope required. She believes this can be easier than many assume, if we follow resources that are based in fact, for example — and not those that are riddled with disinformation.

Share Reliable Resources is one of the 12 Principles for Climate Change Communication.

The 51 Percent Project is named for the majority of Americans who are worried about global warming, many of whom are influential in their networks and communities but not yet supporting clean-energy solutions as enthusiastically as they could be. People working on climate can use the communication principles to encourage inactive friends and colleagues to get involved, as the world’s top scientists, economists, academic leaders, and policy-makers say we must.

Finnie is a Senior Fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Global Sustainability; at the Impact Measurement & Allocation Program (IMAP) at BU’s Questrom School of Business; and for the BU URBAN program, which was established as a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) grant to prepare Ph.D. students to tackle urban environmental challenges. In 2022-2023 she co-led a multidisciplinary team conducting “Climate Lies” research on Disinformation about Climate Change: examining content strategies, spread, and impacts; as well as strategies for neutralizing misleading content. She serves on the boards of the Planetary Health Alliance, ecoAmerica, Boston Harbor Now, and the New York/Connecticut Audubon Society.

12 Principles for Climate Change Communication:

That’s right: lift the taboo and just start talking about it.

Who do you trust for expertise? Who trusts you?

Avoid jargon and technical terms. Repeat the message with confidence.

Turn on the charm. No preaching! Here’s how the pros do it.

Repeat the facts. Call out misinformation and downright lies.

Every degree counts; every individual action matters. Join others and push leaders to double down.

NASA, yes. Nobel prize winners, Yes. CBS, CNN, Yes. Fox News, sorry no. Facebook, apparently not.

Advice for communicating with those who dismiss the risks of global warming.

Balance the problem with solutions.

The clean energy transition involves massive amounts of money.

Compelling images can simplify complex information and quickly engage people for action.

People act on climate when they understand how it affects the people and activities they care about most.


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