Chapter 08 · Finance, data & evidenceSustainability Language
Climate communication
Definition
The study and practice of how information about climate change is produced, framed, transmitted and received. As a research field it examines public knowledge, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviour at global, national and local scales; as a practice it develops evidence-based strategies — audience segmentation, values-based framing, narrative and messengers — to build public understanding and support for climate action.
References
Research mandate on public knowledge, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviour at multiple scales; use by governments, media and advocates.
Practice dimension — turning science into stories, values-based strategy design, campaign planning for professionals.
Overview
What it means
Climate communication emerged as a discipline because information alone does not move opinion: the "information deficit" model failed, and research programmes such as the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication demonstrated that audiences segment into distinct interpretive communities (the "Six Americas" ranging from Alarmed to Dismissive) requiring tailored approaches.
Practice now spans media style choices (the shift from "climate change" to "climate crisis/emergency" framing), visual and narrative conventions, trusted-messenger strategies (health professionals, faith leaders, farmers), and countering organised climate misinformation.
The field's core finding: communication that connects climate to people's existing values, identities and lived experience outperforms abstract science translation.
How it is used
Governments and NGOs design campaigns on risk and behaviour; journalists apply climate-reporting guidance; companies communicate transition plans to stakeholders; educators and museums build climate literacy programmes; researchers track opinion to inform policy windows.
Why it matters
Climate action is socially gated: public understanding, salience and trust determine the political space for policy — communication is the infrastructure of that space.