With ESG on the rebound, it’s time to abandon climate doom narratives
Fear-based green messaging isn’t working.
Divisive politics always put social good initiatives on the front lines of the culture wars. So it’s no surprise that some politicians have targeted sustainability initiatives and ESG—a values-based investment strategy with goals to achieve environmental and societal impact. Under constant political pressure, it wasn’t long before some were even declaring the death of ESG.
As we enter the final few months of a highly competitive presidential race, it seems that reports of the death of ESG may have been greatly exaggerated. One recent survey found that 52% of global business leaders agree ESG leads to lower costs and 69% say it leads to lower risks.
Sustainable business initiatives have gotten a second wind—and with it, a rare opportunity to reconsider how we frame the climate crisis. That means abandoning some of the alarmist messaging that may have put sustainability in the political crosshairs to begin with—and highlighting the importance of childlike imagination and creativity, especially in facing complicated challenges.
Just type “climate change” into any search engine and you’ll see what I mean. It’s doom, gloom, cold data, and hard facts in the media, with headlines like “Rapid Antarctic Melting Looks Certain” and “Climate Scientists Ponder: ‘Do I Really Want to Bring a Child Into This World?’” Entertainment and marketing aren’t much better, with well-meaning brands and organizations distributing images of burning houses as metaphors for the climate crisis we all face. Not that this is entirely new—fear of climate change has been on the rise since the 80s.
To be clear, the climate crisis is undoubtedly one of the world’s most urgent challenges, requiring long-term action from all stakeholders. ESG is also a vital framework for incentivizing businesses to adopt impactful environmental policies. But what’s not so certain is whether these alarming messages are actually having the intended impact. Instead, in some cases, it’s just made these green initiatives easier targets for climate skeptics. In other cases, audiences are probably tuning this type of sustainability messaging out. Indeed, studies suggest that fear-based green messaging isn’t working. After years of it, people have become desensitized. As the charged political atmosphere dies down, it’s time we make sustainability less polarizing by moving on from merely dramatizing the problem to explaining the need for adaptation and innovative solutions.
The paradox of doom narratives
For a long time, organizations have typically focused on scaring audiences into more sustainable behaviors. It seems logical: If we confront people with the problem depicted in dramatic ways, they will be shocked into a visceral emotional reaction. The people creating these narratives typically love the tension they create. They assume that it’s just more compelling to showcase a problem that has more teeth and is more interesting visually—which would all be great if doom narratives were effective in promoting sustainable behaviors or climate action.
However, fear isn’t working. The use of negative emotion in advertising has always been hotly debated, but studies seem to affirm that it’s a losing strategy for impact. For example, a 2020 study showed that when shown highly negative advertising promoting safer driving, participants would register strong negative emotions but would still engage in the same risky driving behaviors. In fact, the riskier the driver, the less likely they were to pay attention to threatening messaging. Another 2021 study, specifically about climate change messaging, suggests that while fear is an effective way to drive an emotional response and grab attention, it’s not an effective way to inspire meaningful individual actions.
Like the boiling frog, we have slowly become almost immune to these alarmist messages. It’s time to take a different, less fear-dependent approach.
Impact through a child’s eyes
The truth is that the goal isn’t to prevent the effects of climate change anymore. It is here and it is changing everything—from the way our cities are built to the way we consume to where and how we travel. In a way, the rise of ESG is a reflection of the countless ways it impacts business and life. But we need to move beyond warnings and create a movement that helps people adapt to and enable this new world order. This means creating enthusiasm, support, and energy for new solutions.
Any climate change storytelling must go beyond talking to adults and inspire the next generation. Climate change narratives need to offer the same level of aspirational storytelling and emotional connection as content that elevates athletes and artists in our culture. They need a hopeful framework that allows them to dream about being a part of enabling a more sustainable future.
Today’s young people are already well aware of their power to promote change. My son’s second-grade teacher constantly reminds students that they are all change-makers. Elsewhere, in entertainment and beyond, kids are informed that they all have ideas worth sharing and that they all have an influence on the world. Treating this generation as change-makers has instilled a confidence that is just waiting to be tapped for social good. The key is just to embrace storytelling that speaks in their imaginative language, meeting them where they are, and giving them a reason to take action.
For example, the animated short film “Dear Alice” by yogurt brand Chobani communicates beautifully the idea that nature and technology can grow in harmony. It’s an optimistic vision for creating a wonderful new, sustainable world for future generations. Similarly, The Breathing Tree, a film we created for the Nature Conservancy, centers the narrative on the true story of an asthmatic little boy, using fantasy elements to highlight how interconnected nature’s health is with the health of every individual on the planet and our communities. Disney’s animated movie Strange World follows a family of explorers who embark on a journey to a mysterious subterranean land in order to save the miracle plant that is their society’s source of energy.
Each of these stories presents a more positive, imaginative, and wonder-filled vision of the present and future world. As the saying goes, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Even though this advice remains unsubstantiated, it is still an important reminder of the crucial role imagination plays in solving real-world problems, urging us to address sustainability with more than just warnings of catastrophe.
I’m not saying that we should allow ESG skeptics to govern how businesses approach sustainability or celebrate climate progress as if we’ve arrived or pretend that the work is done. But the current reliance on doom narratives needs to change if we want to inspire meaningful, long-lasting action on the climate crisis while inspiring some to put aside political divisions to participate. This sustainability reset that the election has created is an opportunity. A more positive approach might be what we need to point both youth and adults in the right direction, championing hope and encouraging others to develop even more imaginative solutions along the way.
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