Why Clear Language Builds Better Climate Narratives

In the drive for climate solutions, our greatest barrier isn't always technology or policy – it's articulation. The most brilliant ideas can falter if they remain locked in dense reports or academic jargon, inaccessible to the very people we need to inspire and engage. This articulation gap is precisely where the next subject of my #HumansOfSydneyClimateAction series, @Nonnie Oldham (a.k.a. 'The Wordsmith'), does her most vital work. My photo essay (LinkedIn Article below 👇🏼) charts her path from a confronting experience in an open-cut coal mine towards public policy, where she mastered the art of language. Today, she channels that expertise into empowering climate-focused organisations, amongst other clients. Nonnie transforms their complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives that can actually drive change. Her story is a powerful validation for every writer, editor and communicator who has ever questioned their place in the climate movement. It confirms that the ability to bring clarity to complexity is not just a 'soft skill' – it's a critical tool for progress. Like the other inspiring individuals featured in this series, Nonnie is part of the vibrant Climate Crew community here in Sydney (CC.SYD), where people with diverse professional skills converge to create impact. ➡️ 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲'𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 and how she wields language for change in the full photo essay linked below. 💬 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆. What’s a complex climate topic you believe desperately needs a 'wordsmith' to make it more accessible to the public, and why? Share your thoughts below! 👣 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 and the #HumansOfSydneyClimateAction hashtag for an inspiring story every week. 📸 If Nonnie's story sparks ideas for how 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, I’d love to connect and discuss bringing your work to life. ➡️ You can explore all published stories, including Nonnie's, on my website (button at the top of my LinkedIn profile). Catch up on my features on Monica P. ('The Urban Rewilder'), Sally Giblin ('The Playmaker'), Julie Perrissel ('The Charge Connector'), Kelly Mitchell ('The Brand Architect'), Colin Finn ('The Ecosystem Engineer') and Rob Chan ('The Drive Decarboniser'). #ClimateCommunication #StorytellingForImpact #ClimateCareers #Sydney

Lately I’ve been obsessed with this question: Why do some climate messages move people—and others don’t? In a new episode of Bloomberg Television's new show Quantum Marketing by Raja Rajamannar, Pranav Yadav (CEO of Neuro-Insight) breaks down how the brain actually responds to storytelling—and how that applies to climate advocacy. Around the 17-minute mark, he analyzes a well-produced climate ad and explains, through neuromarketing data, why it doesn’t stick. The key insight? Psychological distance. The ad talks about climate change, but not in a way that connects to people's personal context—what they care about in their day-to-day lives. And when something feels distant—geographically, emotionally, or temporally—the brain tunes it out. It fails to encode in memory, which means it doesn’t influence behavior. What does work? Stories that activate memory encoding by making the stakes immediate and relatable. That connect to identity, not just intellect. That meet people where they are—then move them. This kind of research lights me up. It’s why I believe we’re at an inflection point in climate storytelling. At TIME, we’re working to reframe climate not just as an environmental issue, but as an economic one. A human one. A business one. If you're doing research in this space—neuroscience, behavioral design, storytelling strategy—or want to help us build a better framework for climate narratives, let’s talk. We need to scale these insights and we have the tools to do it. Watch the whole video but especially the last bit after 17 min if you're thinking about how to communicate urgency, value, and impact in this moment. 🎥 https://lnkd.in/et_uK4c6 #climatecommunications #neuromarketing #behaviorchange #storytelling #TIME #climateaction #businesscaseforclimate

Climate Plain English Please! When I first worked at the SEC, Chair Arthur Levitt spearheaded the Plain English initiative to bring regular language to SEC filings. 10-Ks had become impenetrable with all manner of legalese. Arthur broke through that, saying we need to get companies to speak plainly and clearly so investors can understand what they're saying. We need some of that plain speaking when we're talking about climate risks and opportunities. People often refer to "transition risks" in the climate world. The simplified version of this is "the risks and opportunities a company might face due to the transition to a lower carbon economy." Simple, right? Not really. We can do better. Here are some examples of transition risks and opportunities in my attempt at plain English. Please help improve these and add additional ones. Below, cartoon credit Sidney Harris, The New Yorker. 1. Carbon Pricing and Emissions Regulations Governments may introduce taxes or fees on carbon emissions or require companies to limit their greenhouse gas output. Companies with high emissions could face higher operating costs or fines, making their products less competitive. Businesses that invest early in cleaner technologies or energy efficiency can reduce costs, avoid penalties, and access new markets. 2. Technology Shifts Low carbon technologies (like electric vehicles or renewable energy) can disrupt existing industries. Companies that don't adapt may lose market share. Innovators can tap into growing markets, and boost revenues. 3. Changing Consumer Preferences As people become more climate-conscious and capital shifts to younger generations of consumers, demand for sustainable products rises. Companies that ignore these trends may see declining sales and damaged brands. Businesses that adapt can capture new customers and build brand loyalty. 4. Supply Chain Disruptions Suppliers may be affected by new regulations, higher costs, or physical climate risks, which can disrupt production. Companies may face delays, higher input costs, or shortages, impacting profitability. Building resilient, low-carbon supply chains can reduce risks and appeal to eco-conscious buyers. 5. Litigation and Legal Liability Companies may be sued for contributing to climate change or failing to disclose climate risks. Legal costs, settlements, and reputational damage can be significant. Transparent climate risk management and early adaptation can reduce legal exposure and build trust. #climatechange #plainenglish

"Why We Need a Common Language for Climate Action" Couple of months back, I was in a climate meeting where someone mentioned "blue economy" and I watched half the room nod knowingly while the other half looked completely lost. Later, I realized even those who nodded had different interpretations of what it actually meant. This happens more often than we'd like to admit. Climate conversations are filled with jargon that creates invisible barriers. When we don't share a common understanding of basic terms, we can't build effective solutions together. But here's what troubles me even more - most climate discussions happen without considering how these issues uniquely affect women and marginalized communities. We talk about "climate resilience" without acknowledging that women often lead community preparedness but are excluded from decision-making. We discuss "green jobs" without addressing why women face barriers in renewable energy sectors. Glad to share this CLIMATE GLOSSARY developed by PCI India Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaborative, South Asia https://shorturl.at/3Vx6f Climate action can't be truly effective if we're not all speaking the same language – and if that language doesn't include everyone's experiences. Drop it in the comments; what climate term have you encountered that left you scratching your head? Let's build a community where everyone has the tools to contribute meaningfully to climate action. Because when we all understand the language, we can all be part of the solution. #ClimateAction #GenderEquality #Sustainability #ClimateJustice #WomenInClimate #InclusiveLeadership #ClimateEducation #EnvironmentalJustice #SustainableLeadership #GenderInclusion

"𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚"? Yes, I agree. The climate narrative 𝗜𝗦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. Why?  Because 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲.  Half the time, it's too technical and full of jargon, it leaves people thinking: 🤷🏻♀️ “𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘺𝘦𝘵” or "𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥"😱 Either way, people ignore or disengage. Try and think instead about how an #economic #crisis is reported.  Sure, there’s urgency, but it’s broken down into what people need to know: 🛒 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘶𝘱? 💼 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬? 📊 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴? The complex stuff is there if you want to dive deeper, but the first step is making it 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 and 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁. ☠️❌ Instead #climatechange talks are becoming 𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰. If you don’t know every little detail about #climate policies or didn’t read the latest #IPCC report cover to cover you’re falling short. Sure, I need to know that stuff, I work on these topics, but 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁. It just makes them feel guilty or overwhelmed. So they disengage ("BOORIIING") 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. 🤔 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁? 1️⃣ 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆: 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀. Give them the info that directly impacts them. No jargon, keep it clear. 2️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 Don’t just say, “This is happening”: tell people 𝘩𝘰𝘸 and 𝘸𝘩𝘺 it affects them. People respond to how it feels, not just the facts. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗼𝗿-𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 Like, if you’re not living a zero-waste life and saving baby turtles on the weekend, then sorry mate, you’re part of the problem. It's not true. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. What do you think? 💬

🌍 The Climate Dictionary -Speak Climate Fluently The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, affecting every country, community, and ecosystem. Yet, the language of climate change can often feel complex and inaccessible. The Climate Dictionary changes this narrative. This essential guide, created by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), simplifies 40 critical climate terms, bridging the gap between technical jargon and everyday understanding. From “Net Zero” to “Climate Justice,” it equips readers with the tools to comprehend and act on the climate crisis. 🎯 Why This Matters: Understanding the climate crisis empowers action. Clear, accessible information is the foundation of stronger climate advocacy, policy, and innovation. Let’s read, share, and utilize this resource to drive a global push for climate action. Together, we can build a more sustainable future. 🔗 Learn more and join the movement: UNDP Climate Promise #ClimateAction #Sustainability #TheClimateDictionary #UNDP #ClimateCrisis