"Just Call It Climate Change"

When talking about climate change, familiar language is most persuasive.

Reviewed by Margaret Foley

Key points

• Research shows that familiar language, like “climate change,” best shapes people’s behavior and decisions.
• Words with more emotional impact, such as “climate crisis,” do not work as well.
• Researchers suggest using everyday language more generally—for instance, “human-induced,” not “anthropogenic.”

“Just call it climate change.” That’s the takeaway for good science communication that researchers Wändi Bruine de Bruin and Gale Sinatra shared in an article directed at journalists. The article was based on their own experimental research (Bruine de Bruin et al., 2024). They randomly assigned a representative sample of more than 5,000 people in the U.S. to rate one of the following terms: “climate change,” “global warming,” “climate crisis,” “climate emergency,” or “climate justice.” Climate change and global warming were rated as most familiar, followed by climate crisis and climate emergency, and then by climate justice.

Is familiarity the most important aspect of science communication? After all, terms like climate crisis or climate emergency might be more likely to evoke an emotional response—a sense of urgency. But the researchers did not find such an effect. Overall, the researchers found that more familiar language led to higher ratings of concern, urgency, and policy support, particularly among Democrats. Familiar language also led to the endorsement of a specific behavior, a stated willingness to consume less red meat; again, this finding was particularly true of Democrats.

In their article, Bruine de Bruin and Sinatra conclude: “Our advice: Don’t make the mistake of using overheated language. Just stick with familiar terms that people understand—use ‘global warming’ when referring to rising temperatures and ‘climate change’ for overall changes in the climate.”

Everyday Language

In their research paper, Wändi Bruine de Bruin and colleagues (2024) offer suggestions beyond using the familiar term “climate change” to shape attitudes and behaviors. They recommend using “compelling everyday language, presenting clear graphs, [and] emphasizing social norms.” With regard to everyday language, Bruine de Bruin wrote a guide to help laypeople understand climate language and help reporters to be clear. In her guide, she suggested specific everyday language to replace jargon. Don’t say “mitigation.” Instead, say “stopping climate change from getting worse.” Don’t say “sustainable development.” Instead, say “living in a way that is good for people alive today and for people in the future.”

A Columbia University report, The Psychology of Climate Change Communication, aimed at “scientists, journalists, educators, political aides, and the interested public,” is one of the most approachable guides out there for tactics to change opinions and actions. As Bruine de Bruin did, the report suggested alternatives to tricky words or phrases—for instance, “human-induced” instead of “anthropogenic.” They also recommended avoiding scientific words that have different meanings for scientists than for the rest of us. To scientists, "error" doesn’t really mean that something is wrong; it refers to uncertainty in measurement or a model. And a "positive" trend might not be good; it might simply mean that something is increasing.

Social Norms

Several approachable reports, including The Psychology of Climate Change Communication overview, provide research summaries and real-life examples related to social norms (what we tend to think of as typical behavior). The American Psychological Association’s paper Psychology and Global Climate Change argues for the power of social norms. And the 2015 World Development Report: Mind, Society, and Behavior outlined, in approachable language, ways in which research suggests that social norms can guide individual decision-making. For example, publicizing other people’s behaviors (e.g., energy consumption levels) and support for policies such as carbon offsets can create social norms that lead others to change their behaviors and support for these policies.

As our world dangerously warms, we all have a role to play both in helping to communicate with those around us and in changing our own behaviors and attitudes. Psychological science can help us choose our words and our strategies to effect change in our own lives and communities.