“Global
boiling.”
“Two years left to save the
world.”
“2023 was the hottest year on record by a long
shot.”
Republicans repeal climate
projects.
“Climate change costs the global economy $38 trillion a
year.”
These are all headlines alarmingly familiar to anyone keeping up with climate
news over the last year.
But let me share some highlights you may not have seen:
-
The Biden administration
announced
nearly $200 million in funding to spend on climate projects in US national
parks.
-
The deforestation rate in the Amazon was halved in
2023.
-
Air-pollution levels are
improving
in Europe.
-
94 percent of people in G7 countries
support
the green transition.
-
The cost of solar-generated electricity has fallen nearly 90
percent
in 10 years.
Unless you’re explicitly looking for it, good news on the climate front
typically flies under the radar. And this isn’t just because bad news sells,
but also because the urgency for greater action is very real.
But leading with “the stick” has its limits. I’m not suggesting that fear and
anxiety (in this case, climate
anxiety)
aren’t motivators — but like any form of worry, when pushed too far it becomes
problematic, pathological and an inhibitor of progress. I believe we’ve hit that
tipping point.
According to recent research from
GlobeScan,
consumers are feeling maxed out and are “reaching the limits of what they feel
they are able to do [to protect the environment] — and their motivation to make
personal sacrifices is dropping.” After years of riding one global crisis to the
next, the public is pulling from a dry well and “worry” is no longer a
sufficient motivator.
We don’t need to take a “glass half full” perspective on all climate
communications. That would be a fallacy. But we do need to take a more balanced
approach that is inclusive of some of the headway we’re making so people feel
inspired to do more. Consider this — according to forthcoming IPSOS research shared with Public, “people
that consume positive news are more likely to say that they have changed the
way they live, where they shop and what they buy to ensure they are doing their
part to address climate action.”
As President Biden has reminded us: “Fear never builds the future — hope does.”
For years, we’ve been depriving ourselves of the ability to feel hopeful about
the future of our planet and it’s impacting our ability to take the actions
needed en masse to create a better tomorrow.
At Public, we’re striving to strike this balanced
view to motivate and mobilize our clients and their customers to invest in more
sustainable options. To all fellow impact professionals, I encourage you to take
a look at what narrative your communications are fueling and consider whether
your business, your audience and the planet would benefit from a more nuanced
view.
And if you only take one action this Earth Day, I encourage you to familiarize
yourself with news sources that share planet-positive stories — such as Fix the
News and Goodable. I guarantee
it’ll make you feel better; and I’m willing to venture a bet that it will also
inspire further climate action in your daily life, as well.
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Phillip Haid is Founder & CEO at Public Inc. — North America’s leading social-impact agency helping companies and organizations profit with purpose.
Published Apr 22, 2024 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST