The Climate Words That Backfire—And the Ones That Inspire
From “climate change” to “climate crisis,” our words shape whether people turn away or lean in.
We all feel the impacts of climate change—fires, floods, heat waves, storms. The danger is undeniable. But the way we talk about it may not be helping. Some words move people to act, while others leave them overwhelmed, cynical, or tuned out. The difference is subtle but powerful—and it may be the key to whether people lean in or turn away. Read on for what works and what doesn’t.
You’ve probably noticed a shift in how people talk about climate. Once it was “global warming” or “climate change.” Now, it’s “climate crisis,” “climate emergency,” “climate breakdown,” or “climate justice.” The intention is clear: to convey urgency, to jolt us into action. But the question is: does this language actually work?
A recent survey of more than 5,000 Americans found something surprising: the familiar terms—climate change and global warming—elicited more concern, more urgency, and more willingness to act than newer, heavier terms like “climate crisis” or “climate emergency.” “Climate justice” performed worst of all, largely because people were least familiar with it. The responses were consistent across Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
In other words, the language designed to heighten alarm didn’t actually move people. Sometimes, it even pushed them away.
That’s not because the danger isn’t real. Across the country, people are experiencing climate change in ways that are increasingly impossible to ignore: catastrophic floods sweeping through Kentucky and Missouri, hurricanes battering the Gulf Coast with record-breaking force, unbearable heat waves blanketing Texas and Arizona, winters that swing from extreme storms to unseasonable thaws.
Here in California, we live with the twin realities of wildfires and drought. I’ll never forget September 10, 2020, when smoke from wildfires burning both north and south of us turned the Bay Area sky an eerie, blood red. For days we couldn’t leave our homes, and ash coated the streets and cars. We were already worn thin from the pandemic, and it felt like the end of the world.
The pain is real and we must name it, but naming it isn’t enough if our words fail to reach people. Words can either keep people stuck in fear or move them toward solutions. The climate problem is not just scientific; it’s linguistic. The words we choose can open doors or shut them. They can puncture indifference or make people turn away.
What’s Not Working
Unfamiliar or overheated language—catastrophe, breakdown, crisis—tends to overwhelm people, create fatigue, or leave them cynical. Among the least effective terms are:
Climate crisis
Climate war
Climate catastrophe
Climate anxiety
Climate grief
Climate breakdown
Climate emergency
And even when words don’t backfire outright, they can lose power from overuse. Is an “emergency” still an emergency after years of being called one? Does “catastrophe” stir people to act—or cause them to shut down?
If everything is a crisis, then nothing is.
As I write in The Joyful Vegan:
“Highly effective advocates are messengers of hope rather than of doom—not only because there is reason to hope but also because a steady stream of crisis-messaging depletes people’s will and ability to engage with social problems. While framing everything as a crisis or a catastrophe might generate clicks on social media, the emotions they inspire tend to be either fleeting or fatalistic, leaving people feeling that social problems are overwhelming and unsolvable and causing them to turn away with a sense of frustration and helplessness. As advocates, we tend to focus a lot on problems, but it should be no surprise that people are pretty clear about the problems. We need to do a better job focusing on the solutions, and on painting them as vividly and concretely as we do the problems.”
What Is Working
Familiar and steady terms have consistently been shown to resonate. They’re widely understood, evoke concern, and encourage action. The terms that appear to be most effective are:
Climate change
Global warming
Climate solutions
Clean energy future
The latter two, especially, shift the focus from fear to possibility—helping people see not just the problem, but the pathway forward.
It’s worth remembering: words can change entire political narratives. In 2002, political strategist Frank Luntz famously advised Republicans to stop using “global warming” because it sounded too alarming, and instead use “climate change”—which he said felt more controllable and less emotional. With that memo, climate became a wedge issue in American politics. (Years later, after the Skirball Fire burned in Southern California and threatened his home, Luntz recognized the reality of climate change and acknowledged he had been wrong.)
That history shows just how much language can drive perception, policy, and partisanship.
Today, both terms—climate change and global warming—are used interchangeably, with public understanding more aligned than they ever were before. And the research—and decades of advocacy—point in the same direction: clearer, calmer, more effective communication works best, as does a shift in how we perceive and understand “the other side.”
So what does that look like in practice?
First, perspective.
Climate solutions are far less partisan than media narratives suggest, and climate consensus is stronger than you think. You wouldn’t know it from media coverage, which thrives on outrage and division, but broad agreement on climate solutions already exists.
A recent international survey found that 70% of Americans support global policies aimed at reducing global warming. That means most people already want climate solutions.
In a 2025 survey, large majorities of Democrats and Republicans supported using more renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
A 2024 poll found that 94% of US voters, including strong majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, support natural climate solutions like restoring forests and wetlands.
When we recognize that most people already support climate solutions, the conversation shifts: it’s not about fighting a hostile audience, but about reinforcing shared values and finding common ground. If someone cares about restoring wetlands, start there. If they’re proud of solar growth in their state, build on that. Instead of undercutting common ground by saying “yes, but you still eat meat,” stay rooted in the values and solutions people already embrace. That’s how conversations open rather than shut down.
Next, effective communication.
Use familiar terms, not jargon. Stick with climate change and global warming over climate catastrophe, climate crisis, and climate justice. They may not feel as dramatic, but they resonate.
Avoid overheated language. Catastrophic framing creates despair, not engagement.
Repetition works. The more often we hear something, the more likely we are to believe it. This is how climate misinformation spreads—but it’s also how truth spreads.
Frame outcomes people can feel, not abstract threats. Small shifts like these can be the difference between someone tuning out and someone leaning in. For example,
Talk about careers in clean energy. People don’t just want “new jobs,” they want long-term, meaningful work. Framing clean energy as a pathway to stable careers connects more deeply than economic jargon.
Point to the benefits people experience—cleaner air to breathe, lower energy bills at home, safer neighborhoods.
Describe safer homes and stronger communities—houses protected from floods and fires, neighborhoods strengthened against extreme weather.
Highlight food choices as climate solutions. While animal agriculture is one of the leading drivers of climate change, framing it in terms of cleaner air, healthier meals, and more land for rewilding creates conversations that connect rather than divide. Finding that common ground may be more effective than simply saying we should all go vegan—especially with those who are not.
People already know the harms. The task is to paint the solutions just as vividly. People don’t need more despair; they need a vision of what’s possible.
In the end, this isn’t just about climate change. It’s about human change—and our language will help determine whether we move toward despair or toward possibility.
Additional Resources
In addition to subscribing to my Substack—where I talk not only about solutions and action—here are a few other resources to explore:
For more on how the language we use affects our advocacy: I write about this at length in The Joyful Vegan.
For ongoing insights and solutions: Sam Matey-Coste from The Weekly Anthropocene and Amanda Royal from Earth Hope here on Substack.
For more solutions and positive news: Subscribe to Good News Network and Only Good News Daily for a refreshing alternative to doom-scrolling and the negativity of major media.
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