Five simple shifts for climate communication in 2026

Across our work, we’ve identified five specific ways to evolve the climate narrative with a focus on broadening the tent and minimizing the possibility of polarization. Each of the five shifts marks a departure from traditional climate language. Importantly, this new approach doesn’t shy away from the causes or consequences of climate change. Instead, it reframes them, addressing the most pronounced barriers that blocked progress in the past by making the problem feel more relevant and solutions feel more reasonable and rewarding. The five shifts, which are expanded on in the rest of this guide, include:

1. From morality → to materiality. This can’t be a movement of “should” and “should not,” “right” or “wrong,” “good” or “evil.” Instead of functioning as a moral crusade, the movement needs to feel practical, tangible, and necessary. We have to connect climate concerns to what people worry about every day, and connect climate solutions to benefits they can touch and see.
2. From luxury → to affordability. Energy affordability conversations can be an opportunity, not an obstacle. Most people worldwide already think clean energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. It’s time to celebrate the cost benefits of clean energy instead of assuming a “green premium” and playing defense.
3. From banning → to building. In every policy test we’ve ever run, we see a consistent pattern: limiting is losing. Wherever possible, there should be a focus on what we’re shifting towards rather than what we’re shifting away from. Furthermore, outright attacks on clean energy in some countries mean climate critics are now the ones perceived as banning and blocking.
4. From global → to national & local. Just as it’s crucial to make the consequences of climate change as close-to-home as possible, it’s important to make the solutions feel homegrown. People want their nation to lead, win, and succeed, and they want their community to own its future.
5. From massive → to manageable. An emphatic majority of the planet’s population already thinks climate change is a problem. One of our biggest barriers is that they aren’t sure we can solve it. Concern remains an engine of public support. But we have to pair that urgency with solutions that feel achievable. It should feel like evolution, not revolution or transformation.