Standardizing Climate Communication Practices

Last week, someone who’s been working in climate communications for over a year quietly admitted they still didn’t totally understand what “lowering emissions” meant. Not the general vibe of it, but the actual why and how. I loved their honesty. It reminded me how often specialists in the space continue to throw around terms that even insiders don’t fully grasp. If we want the public, policymakers, and private sector to act, we have to stop communicating like we’re at a scientific conference. Here are 5 tools I use all the time to make complex climate and science ideas land: ✔️ The “Grandma Test” Can you explain the concept to your grandma without losing meaning? This test forces clarity without condescension—and it’s one of the fastest ways to reveal jargon you didn’t even know you were using. ✔️ Metaphor as a Bridge Metaphors are powerful shortcuts for understanding. For example, instead of saying “emissions reductions,” try: “Imagine your home has a slow gas leak. Cutting emissions is like finding and sealing that leak—before it gets worse.” It may take longer to say (a communications faux pas) but we process metaphors faster than data. ✔️ Chunk the Concept Break big ideas into bite-sized parts: What is it? Why does it matter? What can be done? Who’s doing it well? This format creates digestible flow and gives your audience mental “hooks” to follow you. ✔️ Visual Storytelling Not every concept needs a paragraph. Sometimes it just needs a sketch, a diagram, or a comparison chart. ✔️ Mirror the Audience Before I write or say anything, I ask: “What does this audience care about most?” Meeting people in their worldview is half the battle. I’ll be sharing more of the frameworks and strategies I use in future posts—but if your team is trying to translate climate science or sustainability language into something people actually understand and act on, C3 can help. Let’s make it make sense. 👉 Feel free to reach out or follow along for more tools from the Climate Communications Collective playbook.

The era of "casual climate language" is over. Terms like "carbon neutral," once a badge of leadership, are now a liability. We're seeing this play out in high-profile lawsuits against companies like Delta Air Lines and EnergyAustralia, who are being challenged for using offsets to market their products as green. Even Apple, with its carefully crafted brand image, recently faced a German court ruling that its "carbon neutral" Apple Watch claim was misleading due to the short-term nature of its offsets. This is a pivotal moment; the credibility of a company’s climate action is no longer just about its targets, but rather about the language it uses to describe them. Take, for example - 🟢 A recent report found that only 53% of the UK public can correctly define “net-zero.” 🟢 Klarna, for example, avoids "carbon neutral" and instead applies an internal "carbon fee" to fund high-integrity climate projects, positioning its efforts as a financial contribution rather than a compensatory claim. 🟢 Microsoft, in outlining its strategy, emphasizes that deep emissions reductions come first, with carbon removals reserved for addressing truly residual emissions. This kind of transparency builds stakeholder trust. 🟢 Brands like Nestlé and easyJet have also dropped “carbon neutral” pledges, acknowledging that the term no longer aligns with consumer expectations. This shift signals a move toward a new lexicon—one that is humble, verifiable, and clear. For those of us in the industry, this is a call to action. We must advocate for and implement precise, **simple**, and honest communication that truly reflects what we're doing. This matters because the risk of getting it wrong can lead to greenhushing— whereby companies go quiet on their sustainability efforts to avoid scrutiny. This is something you've likely heard me call out before. To be clear - I think the ambition towards "carbon neutrality" is awesome, and we should applaud these companies' efforts. Instead, we can't let the fear of not being perfect become the enemy of the good. While consumers care deeply about sustainability, research shows they prioritize tangible actions like more sustainable packaging and reduced waste over complex carbon metrics and accounting. The only way to move forward is with radical transparency and a commitment to speaking a language of action, not just aspiration. Check out this great op ed in ESG Dive - https://lnkd.in/ermaxtuZ #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Greenwashing #CorporateStrategy #ClimateAction

LinkedIn just showed me something that broke my heart. A climate scientist's 15-year research that could save millions of lives got 47 downloads. A dance video posted the same day got 2.3 million views. Same platform. Same audience. Completely different results. Here's the brutal truth I've learned after working with sustainability brands: Your most important climate solutions are dying in translation. The 10-Year-Old Test I have a simple rule for every sustainability brand I work with: If a 10-year-old can't understand your main message, you've already lost. Because when your climate communication is too complex: ↳ Investors scroll past your impact report ↳ Customers can't explain why they should choose you ↳ Employees can't talk confidently about your mission ↳ Revolutionary research becomes invisible The Real Cost of Climate Confusion Last month, I reviewed an 89-page sustainability report with future-proof clean water solutions. Written in language only 12 people on Earth could understand. Result: 47 downloads in 6 months. Then we created a simple infographic explaining the same solution in plain English. 15,000 shares. Same solution. Different language. Completely different impact. Here's the communication change we need: Instead of: "Our carbon sequestration methodology utilizes nature-based solutions." Try: "We plant trees that suck carbon out of the air." Instead of: "Implementing circular economy frameworks for waste optimization." Try: "We turn your trash into treasure." Your Green Skills Advantage Climate literacy is becoming the new digital literacy. Every job will touch climate. Every business needs green solutions. Every industry needs people who can translate complex climate concepts into action. This is exactly why I created The Rewrite Report. Episode 7 breaks down how climate communication gaps cost brands millions, and what to do about it. Because the planet doesn't need more reports. It needs people who can make those reports make sense. United Nations World Wildlife Fund - this is for you too. The solutions exist. The urgency is real. Now we just need to learn how to talk about it. Read Episode 7 here👇 https://lnkd.in/dgDuERMm P.S: Are you team "keep it simple" or team "make it sound fancy"? ♻️ Repost with love.💚