Klimafakten
Impact Sector
Education & Health
Type of Strategy
Influence
Project Location
Austria, Germany, Switzerland
In a nutshell
It’s been scientifically proven that sharing the facts of the climate crisis is not sufficient to push society towards taking action. Great climate communication needs to incorporate social norms and values, people’s experiences and emotions, perceptions of identity and language, and economic and political dynamics. All these have an influence on how much people and societies think and act on climate. klimafakten.de will forge and train a cross-country network of German-speaking climate communicators who will deliver best practice, motivation, and effective climate messaging.
Climate Problem
Surveys show that large parts of the population in Europe are ready to tackle climate change. However, policymakers and climate communicators often fear that ambitious climate policy measures will be met with resistance and protest. As a result, most public communication around climate policy still relies on the information deficit-model, which assumes that the public must be educated on climate change and convinced by rational arguments. Yet ‘research shows that showing people research does not work’, as John Sterman (MIT) put it.
Multiple factors play a role in shaping people’s attitudes towards climate action. Any climate communication strategy that excludes these factors risks being ineffective or even backfiring. Thousands of climate communicators across society are working to implement meaningful change. However, sticking to delivering ‘the right facts’ fails to engage the public, and can drive polarisation. In the fight against climate change, we need communication that motivates the public to act.
Project Solution
klimafakten.de has selected key groups of climate communicators for their public credibility, and their potential to reach broad segments of society. They have spent over a decade fleshing out the best available knowledge on climate communications. The organisation has the resources and expertise to strengthen the skills of climate communicators. If these groups attend in-depth training on engaging communication, public climate action can be significantly boosted.
klimafakten.de’s handbook of climate communication is a trusted, research-based foundation for the training curriculum. The project will build a training network and a community in which members can learn from each other. The primary target groups include governments, enterprises, charities, medical professionals, climate scientists and journalists. Ultimately, the project is directed at the 100 million German speakers across Europe, and those already actively working as climate communicators.
“Providing the public with the menacing facts about climate change and hoping it generates the necessary change is naïve, but still widespread in the climate community. When people approach us for help, we often respond: Are you even asking the right question? Let’s look at what really motivates people.”
- Operational since 2011
- Team of four employees
- Headquarters in Berlin, Germany
About the organisation
klimafakten.de’s mission is to move society toward a fact-based, solutions-oriented political debate that will help us to achieve climate neutrality – through using communication strategies proven to work. Their vision is a world which has learnt how to talk about climate change, and in which climate change no longer poses an existential threat to humanity.
How your donation helps
With your support, klimafakten.de can build a trainers’ network for climate communication and set up a platform to connect trainers with organisations. Their handbook on climate communication is the distillation of cutting-edge research on a global scale and the foundation for a comprehensive curriculum. They’ve received calls for support, training and consultancy from dozens of organisations, and have conducted workshops with government bodies, NGOs, businesses and public broadcasters.
A quickly growing number of climate communicators are provided with practical guidance and best practice climate communication skills. This will increase the impact and reach of their work, as well as for any campaigns, advocacy and lobbying they are involved with.
Municipalities, businesses and civil society organisations embed research-based climate communication strategies into their planning and public engagement processes.
The presentation of the ‘K3 Award’ for good climate communication provides motivation and guidance to climate communicators – celebrating the efforts of those in the sector, as well as strengthening communicators’ resolve and stamina
Why we chose the project
"To win majorities for faster positive climate decisions, it needs much better climate communication and informed decision-makers. Using science-based strategies, Klimafakten.de can rise to the challenge. Your support enables more training opportunities and forges a community of best practice to finally tip the balance in the European climate debate."
Doreen Kubek
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Seed
KEY SUPPORTER
Grow
PROJECT PATRON
Flourish
CLIMATE CHAMPION
Receive bi-annual reports on how your funded project is progressing
Meet the people behind the project, ask your questions, and build connection (online)
Book an exchange with our Active team to discuss latest trends in climate funding (online)
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Klimafakten
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