The 'Communicating Climate Change' sought to look critically at messaging related climate change and other sustainability issues, and to present some practical insights from the fields of strategic communications, social values research, and psychology on principles and strategies for getting people and organizations to change their behavior for the better.

 

Panelists included Ed Gillespie of Futerra Communications, Pat Dade of Cultural Dynamics Strategy and Marketing, and Dr. Diana Wais, a clinical psychologist and founder of the AEDP Institute. Chairing the discussion was Tim Nuthall of the European Climate Foundation, which along with the LSE Department of Geography & the Environment, generously sponsored the event.

 

Following a lively panel discussion, students and speakers broke into smaller workshop groups to look at practical tools for communicating about sustainability, over wine and a light dinner. After the breakout session, participants reconvened to reflect on learnings as a group.

 

Key insights concerned the limited effectiveness of “fear, doubt, and uncertainty” in motivating social and behavioral change – and ways in which they can be powerful tools for demotivating people; strategies for tailoring messaging to groups with different values sets; and how to manage the conflict between calling for meaningful action that truly represents a solution to the sustainability, while at the same time making social and behavioural change desirable and accessible