It can be challenging. For most people, climate change is an abstract subject tainted with divisive politics. We hear bits of guidance, such as getting the message and messenger right. To some, this means having scientists explain science. To others, it means having faith leaders talk about climate to the faithful. But there’s more to it than that.

The truth is, we can all speak effectively on climate change. Americans know that the climate around them is changing. They are overtly or latently concerned. They want information and solutions that instill confidence and are consistent with their values and beliefs. If we truly understand and connect with Americans, we can provide them with answers that build support for solutions that they, in turn, can share with their networks.

Let’s Talk Faith & Climate

Let's Talk Faith and Climate: Communication Guidance for Faith Leaders is designed to be useful to both experienced and novice climate change and faith communicators. This guide synthesizes the latest academic research and message testing on climate communications from across the social sciences into a practical guide to support meaningful discussions on climate change and faith among individuals and groups.

This guide offers tips on how to initiate new conversations with the faithful, how to create one’s own successful, value-based messages, and how to utilize specific wording that has been tested for its ability to bring people together regarding climate issues. Additionally, this document provides guidance on how to more deeply integrate creation care concerns into one’s own organization, ministry, or denomination.

This, along with the many resources offered by ecoAmerica’s Blessed Tomorrow program, will allow faith leaders to become as adept at talking about climate change as they are at inspiring others to act on behalf of our shared future

15 Steps to Create Effective Climate Communications

Process is as important as content. Even if you have all your facts down cold, people won’t necessarily listen, understand, remember, and act. You need to understand and relate to them to be heard.

15 Steps?! Yes. The guide presents a simple but comprehensive process to create effective climate communications. Drawn from research and real life experience from ecoAmerica and our partners, it works with any audience.

This guide provides a necessary process. It outlines the specific flow for creating and delivering successful climate change communications that resonate with your target audience.

Keep in mind that the order in which you present information matters. Research shows that the same set of facts arranged in different ways produces different results. Follow the steps in order for maximum effectiveness.

For more information on content, please visit ecoAmerica.org/research and download the American Climate Values and Let’s Talk Climate research reports. They contain effective, tested words, phrases, and narratives for general and thematic messages on faith, health, business, communities, families, and more.