The climate issue can feel too big to tackle if we feel like we are acting alone. The more we talk about it constructively and take action, the more we normalise it and build the pressure for positive change. We should ask, “are our conversations…

• encouraging a positive/constructive mindset towards this issue? 
• discussing practical or possible solutions?
• encouraging others to engage further?” 

Note: not every conversation needs to be constructive and it is okay to vent frustration occasionally. 

There are many ways to approach climate conversations and it’s up to you to discover what works best for you. We like the conversation cycle developed by the David Suzuki Foundation (they also have a chatbot where you can practice conversations online).

Before you get started, pick your moment. If someone clearly doesn’t want to talk about climate change, don’t force the conversation as it will only drive them further away from engaging with the issue… it may not be the right time or place for them. 

Ask, Listen and Reflect

By asking open-ended questions you can better understand the beliefs of the person you’re talking to, making it easier to navigate the rest of the conversation. Respect their concerns, priorities and values.

Avoid asking people ‘why’ they believe what they do (as this can sound judgemental).
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Reflecting on what they have said demonstrates that you have listened and provides an opportunity to clarify your understanding of their views.  

Agree

There’s nearly always something you can both agree on. Find common ground, such as:

• you're sick of hearing/talking about it 
• you’re concerned about 
  • our future and our children
  • impacts of extreme weather 
  • clean air and drinking water
  • the economic impacts
  • the natural world and healthy ecosystems 
• you would like the government to do more about it
• you wish there was better information to make decisions
• there is something about the environmentalist movement in general which irritates you

​Make it a safe space from judgement.  You can say things like:
“I find it frustrating how judgemental people can be… no one is perfect and”:

1. “Building sustainable habits takes time and effort… it’s taken me years to start doing X” 
2. “Everyone’s circumstances are unique… what might be affordable or practical for one personal might not be for another”
3. “Everyone’s preferences are unique… just because I’ve given up cheese doesn’t make me better than someone else, maybe I don’t even like cheese and it was an easy thing to give up, whereas cheese is what they live for.”  

Share

Tell your personal story and why you care about it. You can share the challenges you’ve faced or are facing with sustainability and what has been helpful in overcoming them.  

Other tips

If you can, keep it:

• Positive (at least try and end it that way) 
  • Sell a vision of the future that isn’t restrictive; for example, we can use as much energy as we like when it is coming from renewable sources.
• Light-hearted (using humour can help make the conversation more engaging)
• Different - find an angle they are not used to hearing (e.g. the human element)

• Based on “truths” (i.e. the things we know and can be sure of). Although there’s no harm in knowing some, statistics (often presented as “facts and figures”) can be easily manipulated or misused. Both sides of the argument are using them effectively, making it difficult to know what to believe and which ones to trust. Examples of “truths” that are increasingly difficult to deny include:
  • The planet is warming
  • The warming is driven by additional greenhouse gases
  • Additional greenhouses gases are a result of human activity
  • Warming the planet is not a good thing (negatives > benefits) 
  • It can be avoided (by reaching Net Zero, where emissions = drawdowns) 

 
Avoid the issues with the message to date, summarised below:

Taking the Moral High Ground- people don't like it when other people take the moral high ground, this doesn't need to be a moral argument, so let's avoid framing it as such.

Making People Feel Stupid- if we make people feel stupid for being less informed, or having a different point of view, they are much less likely to want to engage.

Predicting the Future- even if we fix the emissions or degrees of warming, predicting the future is impossible, it's an enormously complex issue in that regard, so if we say things that suggest we know with certainty how this plays out it immediately undermines our credibility. ​

Anger & Frustration-  it's easy to come across as overly passionate about this topic and letting our frustration get the better of us can be really off-putting to other people.

Self Importance - if our communication comes across as “listen to me, I have something really important to say”, or “it’s vital that you follow our advice”, it appears self-important. People do not tend to find that engaging.

Further resources
Climate Outreach provides a great handbook on talking about climate (it’s free).  
ClientEarth provides another useful guide from a slightly different angle. 
Ted Talk- on talking about climate change 
The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication provides more in depth resources. 

Books
I'm Right and You're an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up by James Hoggan      ​