Why Climate Communication Is Failing—and What We Can Do About It

I’m not a PR pro — but nor am I an armchair critic. After a career across science, policy, and business, I’ve seen too many vital messages fumbled or lost before they ever reached the people who mattered.

Take GM foods. Years were wasted on “Frankenstein Food” headlines and political backpedalling, while drought-resistant (conventionally bred) crops sat in labs instead of helping farmers in the global south.

I’m not blameless either. Whether running science parks or businesses, advising investors or policy makers, I’ve too often preached to the choir. Translating the impact of science and technology into language that resonates — especially with those outside traditional echo chambers — is a different skill. And we’re still failing at it.

President Obama said it best: “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last that can do something about it.”

It’s on our watch. And while many of us worry about the end of the world, far more people are worried about the end of next week.

In the UK, about half the population is concerned about climate change—but 80% are focused on the cost of living. Struggling families aren’t ignoring the climate; they just can’t afford to take their eye off the bills. The message isn’t landing.

Over the next five days, I’ll share a few thoughts from the trenches—lessons learned, mistakes made, and ideas worth testing. This isn’t just for communications professionals. It’s for anyone who believes these messages matter.

So, for what it's worth...

1: The Climate Crisis Is Driving the Cost of Living — Say So

If you work in communications, you’ve likely faced this challenge: How do you talk about climate change when people can’t afford rent, food, or electricity?

The cost-of-living crisis has become the lens through which millions now view the world. And too often, climate messaging feels disconnected — like it belongs to a different universe, or a different class.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the climate crisis is already making life more expensive for those with the least. It’s not a separate crisis. It’s an accelerant.

💸 Climate = Higher Prices

• Droughts and floods damage crops — food prices rise.
• Extreme weather disrupts supply chains — goods get scarce.
• Heatwaves and cold snaps strain energy systems — bills soar.

These aren’t future scenarios. They’re happening now — in Nairobi, Manchester, Manila, São Paulo.

💬 Messaging Tips:

• Replace “save the planet” with “protect the basics: food, housing, energy.”
• Focus on what’s already happening, not abstract models of 2050.
• Use simple cause-and-effect framing: “More heat = higher prices”, “More floods = broken supply chains.”

🚫 Avoid:

• Lectures about emissions footprints.
• Tone-deaf appeals to “sacrifice for the planet” — especially when people feel they’ve sacrificed enough just to get by.

✅ Do:

• Make climate breakdown feel visible and close.
• Honour lived experience: most people feel things are getting harder — because they are.

Final thought: If we want people to care about the climate, we have to show them how it’s already on their receipt — not just in the sky.

👉 Up next: How to connect biodiversity loss to food security and public health.

Redpill Group Ltd Darwin Fund Wolfson College North Devon UNESCO Biosphere