Share
    Document / Toolkit

    Communicating about climate change

    Posted November 10, 2021
    Source
    Land Trust Alliance
    Author
    Mary Alice Holley, Conservation Trust for North Carolina
    Sun setting over a field with farm buildings on the horizon
    About This Toolkit

    Land trusts may decide to communicate about climate change because they are doing climate-related work and need to secure support and resources for that work. They may feel they need to raise awareness among their supporters about how climate change threatens their work. And they may want to attract new supporters who have an interest in climate issues. Finding the promise, rather than the peril, in climate communications takes a bit of research and effort but the rewards are sure to outweigh the costs. This resource is designed to start you off on the right track. 

    Land trusts can use this online guide to help create a climate change communication strategy as your organization’s human and financial resources allow. Visit each page to find tips, action steps and examples for effectively bringing climate action into your communications. 

    We give special thanks to Merck Family Fund for generous grant support to develop this important resource for land trusts and to Mary Alice Holley from Conservation Trust for North Carolina for providing tools for this guide and sharing her expertise in and experiences with climate communications in CTNC’s direct work and through her engagement with other land trusts.

    © 2021 Land Trust Alliance, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Climate change is a defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten both biodiversity and food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope but felt most harshly at the local level. With such a tough topic, embarking on discussions of climate change can feel like venturing into a communications minefield. The work that land trusts do is uniquely aligned to address climate change impacts whether or not it is explicitly communicated. Increasingly, climate change has become a mainstream idea that is starting to rise above partisan politics, but many people still hesitate to speak or write about the topic for fear of alienating others. Reticence carries its own risks, though, and land trust leaders feel increasingly compelled to break the silence. 

    Land trusts may decide to communicate about climate change because they are doing climate-related work and need to secure support and resources for that work. They may feel they need to raise awareness among their supporters about how climate change threatens their work. And they may want to attract new supporters who have an interest in climate issues. Finding the promise, rather than the peril, in climate communications takes a bit of research and effort but the rewards are sure to outweigh the costs. This resource is designed to start you off on the right track. 

    Land trusts can use this online guide to help create a climate change communication strategy as your organization’s human and financial resources allow. Visit each page to the left to find tips, action steps and examples for effectively bringing climate action into your communications. 

    Is your organization ready to communicate on climate?

    Every organization will at some point grapple with the decision of whether or not to incorporate climate change into their mission, projects and communications. If your organization has reached that decision point, there are key questions that should be discussed among your team before proceeding with a public communication strategy.  

    Define the “why.” If your organization is ready to explore the process of adopting climate change and resilience into your projects, programs, strategic plan or communications strategy, craft and communicate WHY your organization is addressing the climate change crisis and HOW your mission and project areas offer solutions.   

    Adopting climate change communication may feel like it presents new barriers and challenges, but if executed strategically, climate change campaigns can have positive results for your organization. 

    Frequently asked questions

    USNature4Climate

    The Land Trust Alliance is a part of USNature4Climate, a coalition of nine conservation, environmental and sustainable business organizations dedicated to ensuring our forests, farms, ranches, grasslands and wetlands are an important part of the overall strategy to combat climate change. Find climate change information, infographics, social media content and more on the USNature4Climate Resource Center.