Actions Beyond the “Doom and Gloom” Climate Change Messaging

Climate change’s consequences can sometimes seem overwhelming, with much news focusing on the alarming impacts.

The science and data paint a picture of a planet under stress—rising temperatures, more extreme weather events, loss of biodiversity, and increased risk to human health and food security.

These trends are often described as “doom and gloom” because they significantly affect ecosystems, economies, and societies. It is also vital that this information on climate change’s impacts is taken seriously and lead to action by reducing our emissions and implementing strategies to become more resilient to its impacts through climate adaptation initiatives.

Can doom-and-gloom messaging about climate change spur action or paralyse people? Two studies investigating whether such messaging drives action or hinders support show different findings.

The first study, “Fanning the flames or burning out? Testing competing hypotheses about repeated exposure to threatening climate change messages,” is from Penn State researchers. It shows that exposure to doom-and-gloom news stories about climate change was linked to fear and less hope. Still, that fear peaked after a few days and then held steady. Over time, people exposed to negative climate change headlines increased their efficacy beliefs. In other words, they will likely think they can do something about climate change.

According to Christofer Skurka, one of the study authors, one possibility is that as the public copes with unpleasant feelings about the enormous threat climate change presents, they may convince themselves that they have control over the situation, which translates into greater efficacy beliefs that their actions will make a difference.

The second study, “Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries,” published in Science Advances in February 2024, shows that spreading a message about climate change could backfire, depending on your audience. The study involved 59,000 people from 63 countries who participated in surveys as part of the work on creating the app.

This paper involved nearly 250 researchers who collected data between July 2022 and May 2023. They exposed people to different variations of climate messages and tasks related to climate change. They then investigated their attitudes towards the different climate measures and other responses.

The researchers exposed people to different variations of climate messages and tasks related to climate change and examined their attitudes and their responses.

Their results show that although the doom and good messaging style effectively drove people to share their support on social media accounts, this action is a low-effort one and does not translate to actual actions like tree planting. In some countries, scare tactics prove ineffective. Not only does it reduce support for reforestation, which is a solution to climate change, but it also reinforces the negative attitudes of climate sceptics.

Messaging like “99% of climate experts believe the planet is getting warmer and that climate change is primarily due to human activity” produces different results in different countries. This messaging appeals to the recipient’s sense of knowledge and increases support in some countries.

Messaging that appeals to emotions, like, for instance, writing a letter to a child who is close to you about the climate measures we are taking today to make the planet a liveable place in 2055, increased climate support in countries like Nigeria, Russia, Ghana, Brazil and the United States, but has little effect in countries like India, Serbia, and UAE.

While some types of messaging can lead people to post their support on social media, other messaging tactics are more effective in gathering support for things that work.

The study notes that spreading a climate message depends on people’s attitudes towards climate change in the first place, and legislators and campaigners must adapt their messaging to the public to drive actions.

UN’s Global Adaptation Podcast: Resilience

After hearing all the doom and gloom messaging about climate change, it is time to listen to the solutions to limit or halt the climate crisis.

Resilience is a UNEP podcast that shares inspiring stories from people worldwide who adapt to climate change in practical, creative, and innovative ways.

This podcast explores the best solutions and cutting-edge technologies for building resilience to climate change. In each episode, climate experts discuss the hottest topics, such as how award-winning African architects are changing the future of climate-resilient buildings, the use of artificial intelligence to help farmers grow food in harsh conditions, and the power of forests to protect people against the impacts of extreme weather.

Click the link to listen to the UN Environment Programme’s Global Adaptation Network podcast.