At the Citizens’ Climate Lobby's (CCL) 2024 Summer Conference, Sierra Petersen shared her expertise on having effective climate change conversations. She emphasized the importance of making these discussions feel natural and relatable to increase receptivity.
Petersen advised against exaggerating facts and highlighted the need for trust-building to prevent being perceived as alarmist or having an ulterior motive.
“There’s really no need to exaggerate. Just the simple facts are enough to be persuasive. You want to build trust, you don’t want to be seen as having an angle or trying to scare people.
”She also suggested using simple, familiar language instead of technical jargon when communicating about climate change.
“Nobody wants to feel stupid. Nobody wants to hear a word and not know what it means,” she cautions. “Instead of saying ‘decarbonization,’ ‘greenhouse gasses,’ and ‘carbon footprint,’ use words that are more familiar like ‘pollution’ and ‘overheating.’”
You can read more about Petersen’s appearance at the conference here.