Hope is not just a communication strategy — it is a necessity to help us get up in the morning. Research shows that hope is essential for human wellbeing, and associated with lower levels of depression, chronic pain, and even cancer.1 Hope is a powerful emotion, giving people a sense of agency as well as motivation to transform their fear into something more productive. In order to inspire people to take action on climate change, we have to demonstrate how our actions can make a difference. People are more likely to engage with an issue if they feel like they are not starting from scratch, but have a head start.2
A meta-analysis of 46 studies showed that generally, people who feel hopeful about climate change are more likely to engage in climate-related actions.3 But notably, when individuals felt hopeful about their own ability to make a difference, their engagement was significantly higher. In contrast, people who feel hopeful because they believe climate change isn’t a serious issue tend to be less inclined to act.3 What these findings tell us is that while hope being a positive driver of climate action, it doesn’t guarantee increased climate engagement. But when looking at links between emotions and climate activism, anger has been found to be a stronger predictor than hope in another study.5 The science on this is rapidly evolving, but there are strong signs that hope-based framings — coupled with calls to action — are a more effective alternative to traditionally used fear framings.
“To inspire people, we need to tell a story not of sacrifice and deprivation but of opportunity and improvement in our lives, our health and our well-being—a story of humans flourishing in a post-fossil-fuel age.”5
The intricate interplay between anger, hope and action is highlighted in Outreach and Optimism, a podcast hosted by former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres, covering the state of climate impacts and policy, where we’re going wrong and what can be done to fix it. Christiana Figueres, who is a key figure in international climate negotiations, acknowledges the urgent need to address climate change, balanced by an understanding of the time that it takes to achieve policy and systemic shifts.6 Central to her philosophy is "stubborn optimism," emphasizing that combating climate change isn't about sacrifices but rather a move towards a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Figueres believes in empowering individuals with the realization that they have the unprecedented capability to shape the future, leveraging technology, capital, and policy understanding8 — channeling both their outrage at the state of the world, and the knowledge that we can build a better future.
Ann-Christine Duhaime
Visions for a Better Future
How can we incorporate hope into a climate change action strategy? This provides an additional challenge, as it requires sketching out an alternative future of a type not yet experienced in human history. In addition, as mentioned previously, just because of the rules of the physical world, the climate will get worse before it improves. This worsening almost certainly will be accompanied by widespread humanitarian crises, climate migration, suffering and mortality on a wide scale, affecting innocent people around the world but striking the least advantaged with the most force. How then to provide hope, to fuel confidence in necessary transitions and new priorities?
A vision of a better future will need to be constructed towards which people can and will want to work. This must be honest and speculative but fueled by knowledge and science as well as humanitarian and creative insights. It will need to be an iterative vision that is updated with ongoing knowledge and new scientific and cultural developments. Getting there will require sacrifice, and the sacrifice will need to be seen as “worth it”.
Over-promising for short term benefits and conflict-free “green visions” may backfire, as people become disillusioned as the world continues to worsen in its conflicts over scarce resources. Thus, painting a picture that highlights both the road ahead and what it will look like along the way, as well as the desired destination for a post-climate-change future, will be not only a communications challenge, but a challenge in integrity that will require the input of multiple disciplines working together will common resolve.
Some research shows that optimistic messages about progress in climate action increase hope, but can decrease risk perceptions of climate change. In climate change messaging, it is crucial to avoid ‘false hope’ or solely focusing on progress in climate change mitigation without a call to action. Instead, audiences should engage in constructive hope, driving the message that climate change can be mitigated through collective action.8 Constructive hope has been positively connected to pro-environmental behavior, as it appeals to people’s self-efficacy - the notion that their actions make a tangible difference.
Therefore, it is important to communicate that progress on climate action has already been made and is, in fact, happening every day — while not downplaying the threat that climate change poses. Telling success stories of cleaner transportation, energy security through renewable energy, and thriving communities at the heart of those solutions can unlock massive potential and help accelerate the shift away from polluting industries. Most importantly, people need to know what they can actively do in their lives to help drive forward positive change.
Kumi Naidoo
Pessimism is a luxury that we simply cannot afford. The window for action to mitigate the worst of runaway catastrophic climate change is small and closing fast, but there is still time for us to act, if we act decisively. In order to capitalize on this window, the climate movement needs to understand that one of the most powerful actions that we can do is to cultivate hope through action, and action through hope. Therefore, our climate communications must focus on encouraging, cultivating, and spreading hope. People need to know that there are multiple pathways to participation and that participation will be the greatest antidote in the fight against apathy and despair. The pessimism of our analysis of the current global situation can best be overcome by the optimism inspired by our creative participation.
Communications expert Anat Shenker-Osorio argues that traditional progressive messaging suffers from an ‘ordering effect problem’: The pattern of “anger, hope, action”, she argues, is ineffective because people have other, more immediate problems to prioritize. Rather, messaging should follow the order of “shared value, problem, solution”. That first shared value should be universal and not alienate anyone, and follow up with a description of a specific issue (such as women’s rights, or the climate crisis). Shenker-Osorio suggests that policy and messaging need different approaches and that communicators should focus on the outcome, rather than the process of a policy — with an emphasis on improving people’s lives. In an interview with Jonathan Stein, she says: “In the bleakest of times, we need to present the brightest dream”.9
“Much of the reluctance to do what climate change requires comes from the assumption that it means trading abundance for austerity, and trading all our stuff and conveniences for less stuff, less convenience. But what if it meant giving up things we’re well rid of, from deadly emissions to nagging feelings of doom and complicity in destruction? What if the austerity is how we live now — and the abundance could be what is to come?” 11
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people around the world to re-evaluate their priorities and the way they live their lives. The GoodLife 2030 report highlights that many are now seeking a stronger sense of interconnectedness with themselves, others, and nature — by looking for a slower pace of life with more purposeful work, and wanting to protect nature through living with fewer resources. These desires are echoed in social media trends such as #SoftLife and Conscious Quitting — demonstrating a growing recognition of the importance of taking responsibility for our impact on the planet. To turn these visions into action, GoodLife 2030 recommends showing people tangible visions of a simpler but fulfilled life, and how to do more with less, helping people see themselves as agents of improvement.11
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Marcy Franck
Being optimistic leads to hope, and hope inspires action. Some doctors even use hope as a therapeutic tool to help patients navigate a scary diagnosis because it helps us tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges. With climate change, we also need a constant reminder of the progress we’re making to assure us that our efforts are working, that it’s worth our energy to try, and to inspire more people to join us in tackling the greatest health challenge we face.
That’s why we started The Climate Optimist newsletter—to provide a monthly dose of good climate news to grow the climate movement. Our message is simple: A better future is not only possible; it’s already underway. Without sugar coating the challenge, we highlight climate progress in its many forms, from policies to green innovations to clean energy projects breaking ground and the health benefits that follow. We also include a menu of options for becoming part of the solution.
The newsletter is a critical component of our Center’s overarching approach to communications. By changing the climate narrative we can empower more people to act. These strategies include training health professionals to effectively translate their work, expanding news coverage, and increasing climate storytelling beyond traditional media to the entertainment industry and content creators.
Our readers regularly tell us that our newsletter helped them feel more hopeful and inspired to help. Our open and click-to-open rates hover around 38% and 10% respectively, compared to our email vendor’s benchmarks of 26.6% and 10% for nonprofits. Click reports indicate that our audience tends to read the entire issue, and in the last year we saw a 92% increase in new subscribers.
Media outlets are increasingly covering our approach as essential for overcoming climate doom and for furthering progress. We’ve been featured in outlets like The Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and Well+Good. Every climate communicator and journalist can help change the climate narrative by weaving solutions-based messaging into every piece they write about climate change.
Rebecca Solnit argues that in order to achieve a better future, a large-scale perspective change is needed — reimagining who we are, what we desire, and what “wealth” means to us.11 Our current burning of fossil fuels makes us poorer by damaging our health, wellbeing and politics. Instead, we could pursue joy, beauty, community, and closeness to nature, rather than material goods. Many people are craving for connection, both interpersonally and ecologically12 — what if we turned the climate crisis into an opportunity to achieve just that?
“Policies that empower everyone to lead their best lives are what people want. They are also necessary to change the economic fundamentals, so that companies and investors can deliver on the pledges and commitments that have been made at each of the COPs.” 12
Creativity as a Force for Good
Creativity allows us to create extraordinary solutions to problems, no matter how complex they may seem. It is about finding the most impactful, clear and convincing idea that makes people see what is happening and what we have to do to solve it.
Keep reading- Long KNG, Kim ES, Chen Y, Wilson MF, Worthington Jr EL, VanderWeele TJ. The role of Hope in subsequent health and well-being for older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach. Glob Epidemiol. 2020;2:100018. doi:10.1016/j.gloepi.2020.100018
- Olano LV. Communicating the Climate Crisis. Climate-XChange. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://climate-xchange.org/communicating-the-climate-crisis/
- Geiger N, Dwyer T, Swim JK. Hopium or empowering hope? A meta-analysis of hope and climate engagement. Front Psychol. 2023;14. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1139427
- Niranjan A. Anger is most powerful emotion by far for spurring climate action, study finds. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/21/anger-is-most-powerful-emotion-by-far-for-spurring-climate-action-study-finds. Published August 21, 2023. Accessed August 30, 2023.
- Hassol SJ. The Right Words Are Crucial to Solving Climate Change. Scientific American. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0223-64
- de Ferrer M. “It’s not about saving the planet”: Christiana Figueres on COP26, climate grief & stubborn optimism. euronews. Published October 23, 2021. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/10/23/it-s-not-about-saving-the-planet-christiana-figueres-on-cop26-climate-grief-stubborn-optim
- Kottasová I. The world’s top climate negotiator is feeling optimistic. She says you should too. CNN. Published February 19, 2020. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/19/world/climate-change-optimism-christiana-figueres-intl/index.html
- Brosch T. Affect and emotions as drivers of climate change perception and action: a review. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2021;42:15-21. doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.001\
- The Art of Messaging with Anat Shenker-Osorio -- In the Arena with Jonathan Stein.; 2017. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuzCmRDi3vw
- Solnit R. What if climate change meant not doom — but abundance? Washington Post. Published March 15, 2023. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/15/rebecca-solnit-climate-change-wealth-abundance/
- Purpose Disruptors. Good Life 2030. Purpose Disruptors. Published 2022. Accessed May 24, 2023. https://www.purposedisruptors.org/good-life-2030
- Figueres C. Flipping the Environmental Narrative. Project Syndicate. Published March 13, 2023. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/climate-biodiversity-narrative-can-drive-stronger-policies-by-christiana-figueres-2023-03
Hope is not just a communication strategy — it is a necessity to help us get up in the morning. Research shows that hope is essential for human wellbeing, and associated with lower levels of depression, chronic pain, and even cancer.1 Hope is a powerful emotion, giving people a sense of agency as well as motivation to transform their fear into something more productive. In order to inspire people to take action on climate change, we have to demonstrate how our actions can make a difference. People are more likely to engage with an issue if they feel like they are not starting from scratch, but have a head start.2
A meta-analysis of 46 studies showed that generally, people who feel hopeful about climate change are more likely to engage in climate-related actions.3 But notably, when individuals felt hopeful about their own ability to make a difference, their engagement was significantly higher. In contrast, people who feel hopeful because they believe climate change isn’t a serious issue tend to be less inclined to act.3 What these findings tell us is that while hope being a positive driver of climate action, it doesn’t guarantee increased climate engagement. But when looking at links between emotions and climate activism, anger has been found to be a stronger predictor than hope in another study.5 The science on this is rapidly evolving, but there are strong signs that hope-based framings — coupled with calls to action — are a more effective alternative to traditionally used fear framings.
“To inspire people, we need to tell a story not of sacrifice and deprivation but of opportunity and improvement in our lives, our health and our well-being—a story of humans flourishing in a post-fossil-fuel age.”5
The intricate interplay between anger, hope and action is highlighted in Outreach and Optimism, a podcast hosted by former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres, covering the state of climate impacts and policy, where we’re going wrong and what can be done to fix it. Christiana Figueres, who is a key figure in international climate negotiations, acknowledges the urgent need to address climate change, balanced by an understanding of the time that it takes to achieve policy and systemic shifts.6 Central to her philosophy is "stubborn optimism," emphasizing that combating climate change isn't about sacrifices but rather a move towards a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Figueres believes in empowering individuals with the realization that they have the unprecedented capability to shape the future, leveraging technology, capital, and policy understanding8 — channeling both their outrage at the state of the world, and the knowledge that we can build a better future.
Ann-Christine Duhaime
Visions for a Better Future
How can we incorporate hope into a climate change action strategy? This provides an additional challenge, as it requires sketching out an alternative future of a type not yet experienced in human history. In addition, as mentioned previously, just because of the rules of the physical world, the climate will get worse before it improves. This worsening almost certainly will be accompanied by widespread humanitarian crises, climate migration, suffering and mortality on a wide scale, affecting innocent people around the world but striking the least advantaged with the most force. How then to provide hope, to fuel confidence in necessary transitions and new priorities?
A vision of a better future will need to be constructed towards which people can and will want to work. This must be honest and speculative but fueled by knowledge and science as well as humanitarian and creative insights. It will need to be an iterative vision that is updated with ongoing knowledge and new scientific and cultural developments. Getting there will require sacrifice, and the sacrifice will need to be seen as “worth it”.
Over-promising for short term benefits and conflict-free “green visions” may backfire, as people become disillusioned as the world continues to worsen in its conflicts over scarce resources. Thus, painting a picture that highlights both the road ahead and what it will look like along the way, as well as the desired destination for a post-climate-change future, will be not only a communications challenge, but a challenge in integrity that will require the input of multiple disciplines working together will common resolve.
Some research shows that optimistic messages about progress in climate action increase hope, but can decrease risk perceptions of climate change. In climate change messaging, it is crucial to avoid ‘false hope’ or solely focusing on progress in climate change mitigation without a call to action. Instead, audiences should engage in constructive hope, driving the message that climate change can be mitigated through collective action.8 Constructive hope has been positively connected to pro-environmental behavior, as it appeals to people’s self-efficacy - the notion that their actions make a tangible difference.
Therefore, it is important to communicate that progress on climate action has already been made and is, in fact, happening every day — while not downplaying the threat that climate change poses. Telling success stories of cleaner transportation, energy security through renewable energy, and thriving communities at the heart of those solutions can unlock massive potential and help accelerate the shift away from polluting industries. Most importantly, people need to know what they can actively do in their lives to help drive forward positive change.
Kumi Naidoo
Pessimism is a luxury that we simply cannot afford. The window for action to mitigate the worst of runaway catastrophic climate change is small and closing fast, but there is still time for us to act, if we act decisively. In order to capitalize on this window, the climate movement needs to understand that one of the most powerful actions that we can do is to cultivate hope through action, and action through hope. Therefore, our climate communications must focus on encouraging, cultivating, and spreading hope. People need to know that there are multiple pathways to participation and that participation will be the greatest antidote in the fight against apathy and despair. The pessimism of our analysis of the current global situation can best be overcome by the optimism inspired by our creative participation.
Communications expert Anat Shenker-Osorio argues that traditional progressive messaging suffers from an ‘ordering effect problem’: The pattern of “anger, hope, action”, she argues, is ineffective because people have other, more immediate problems to prioritize. Rather, messaging should follow the order of “shared value, problem, solution”. That first shared value should be universal and not alienate anyone, and follow up with a description of a specific issue (such as women’s rights, or the climate crisis). Shenker-Osorio suggests that policy and messaging need different approaches and that communicators should focus on the outcome, rather than the process of a policy — with an emphasis on improving people’s lives. In an interview with Jonathan Stein, she says: “In the bleakest of times, we need to present the brightest dream”.9
“Much of the reluctance to do what climate change requires comes from the assumption that it means trading abundance for austerity, and trading all our stuff and conveniences for less stuff, less convenience. But what if it meant giving up things we’re well rid of, from deadly emissions to nagging feelings of doom and complicity in destruction? What if the austerity is how we live now — and the abundance could be what is to come?” 11
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people around the world to re-evaluate their priorities and the way they live their lives. The GoodLife 2030 report highlights that many are now seeking a stronger sense of interconnectedness with themselves, others, and nature — by looking for a slower pace of life with more purposeful work, and wanting to protect nature through living with fewer resources. These desires are echoed in social media trends such as #SoftLife and Conscious Quitting — demonstrating a growing recognition of the importance of taking responsibility for our impact on the planet. To turn these visions into action, GoodLife 2030 recommends showing people tangible visions of a simpler but fulfilled life, and how to do more with less, helping people see themselves as agents of improvement.11
Marcy Franck
Being optimistic leads to hope, and hope inspires action. Some doctors even use hope as a therapeutic tool to help patients navigate a scary diagnosis because it helps us tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges. With climate change, we also need a constant reminder of the progress we’re making to assure us that our efforts are working, that it’s worth our energy to try, and to inspire more people to join us in tackling the greatest health challenge we face.
That’s why we started The Climate Optimist newsletter—to provide a monthly dose of good climate news to grow the climate movement. Our message is simple: A better future is not only possible; it’s already underway. Without sugar coating the challenge, we highlight climate progress in its many forms, from policies to green innovations to clean energy projects breaking ground and the health benefits that follow. We also include a menu of options for becoming part of the solution.
The newsletter is a critical component of our Center’s overarching approach to communications. By changing the climate narrative we can empower more people to act. These strategies include training health professionals to effectively translate their work, expanding news coverage, and increasing climate storytelling beyond traditional media to the entertainment industry and content creators.
Our readers regularly tell us that our newsletter helped them feel more hopeful and inspired to help. Our open and click-to-open rates hover around 38% and 10% respectively, compared to our email vendor’s benchmarks of 26.6% and 10% for nonprofits. Click reports indicate that our audience tends to read the entire issue, and in the last year we saw a 92% increase in new subscribers.
Media outlets are increasingly covering our approach as essential for overcoming climate doom and for furthering progress. We’ve been featured in outlets like The Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and Well+Good. Every climate communicator and journalist can help change the climate narrative by weaving solutions-based messaging into every piece they write about climate change.
Rebecca Solnit argues that in order to achieve a better future, a large-scale perspective change is needed — reimagining who we are, what we desire, and what “wealth” means to us.11 Our current burning of fossil fuels makes us poorer by damaging our health, wellbeing and politics. Instead, we could pursue joy, beauty, community, and closeness to nature, rather than material goods. Many people are craving for connection, both interpersonally and ecologically12 — what if we turned the climate crisis into an opportunity to achieve just that?
“Policies that empower everyone to lead their best lives are what people want. They are also necessary to change the economic fundamentals, so that companies and investors can deliver on the pledges and commitments that have been made at each of the COPs.” 12
Creativity as a Force for Good
Creativity allows us to create extraordinary solutions to problems, no matter how complex they may seem. It is about finding the most impactful, clear and convincing idea that makes people see what is happening and what we have to do to solve it.
Keep reading- Long KNG, Kim ES, Chen Y, Wilson MF, Worthington Jr EL, VanderWeele TJ. The role of Hope in subsequent health and well-being for older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach. Glob Epidemiol. 2020;2:100018. doi:10.1016/j.gloepi.2020.100018
- Olano LV. Communicating the Climate Crisis. Climate-XChange. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://climate-xchange.org/communicating-the-climate-crisis/
- Geiger N, Dwyer T, Swim JK. Hopium or empowering hope? A meta-analysis of hope and climate engagement. Front Psychol. 2023;14. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1139427
- Niranjan A. Anger is most powerful emotion by far for spurring climate action, study finds. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/21/anger-is-most-powerful-emotion-by-far-for-spurring-climate-action-study-finds. Published August 21, 2023. Accessed August 30, 2023.
- Hassol SJ. The Right Words Are Crucial to Solving Climate Change. Scientific American. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0223-64
- de Ferrer M. “It’s not about saving the planet”: Christiana Figueres on COP26, climate grief & stubborn optimism. euronews. Published October 23, 2021. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/10/23/it-s-not-about-saving-the-planet-christiana-figueres-on-cop26-climate-grief-stubborn-optim
- Kottasová I. The world’s top climate negotiator is feeling optimistic. She says you should too. CNN. Published February 19, 2020. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/19/world/climate-change-optimism-christiana-figueres-intl/index.html
- Brosch T. Affect and emotions as drivers of climate change perception and action: a review. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2021;42:15-21. doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.001\
- The Art of Messaging with Anat Shenker-Osorio -- In the Arena with Jonathan Stein.; 2017. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuzCmRDi3vw
- Solnit R. What if climate change meant not doom — but abundance? Washington Post. Published March 15, 2023. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/15/rebecca-solnit-climate-change-wealth-abundance/
- Purpose Disruptors. Good Life 2030. Purpose Disruptors. Published 2022. Accessed May 24, 2023. https://www.purposedisruptors.org/good-life-2030
- Figueres C. Flipping the Environmental Narrative. Project Syndicate. Published March 13, 2023. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/climate-biodiversity-narrative-can-drive-stronger-policies-by-christiana-figueres-2023-03
