Chapter 1
It’s Not Just Climate Change
INTRODUCTION
Concern about climate change is at an all-time high: According to a 2022 survey, 77% of people worldwide are worried about climate change, with 71% believing that we need to take faster action to address this critical issue. Meanwhile, 57% of people think that there has been little to no progress made to address the climate crisis.1 Despite growing concern, there is a significant action gap between what scientists say needs to be done to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, and what governments, industry and the public are actually doing.2 How can we truly say whether climate advocacy is successful?
The discrepancy between awareness and action can be attributed to the way we communicate. The way we talk about climate change — as scientists, citizens, businesses, and campaigners — greatly influences public perception of the issue and its potential solutions. Despite knowing about the science of climate change for decades, countries worldwide still struggle to make the systemic changes needed to reach safe and just climate targets.