People in towns and cities all over the country fighting for climate justice know that policy change is crucial to create healthier communities for everyone. At every scale – local, state, federal and global – advocates are advancing solutions that center justice where progress is possible today and educating elected officials and building local power to promote future progress.

As we edge closer to election day, we know that in the coming weeks, pundits and loved ones alike will share their opinions about why certain results materialized and what that means for our futures. This period of analysis presents an opportunity for the climate justice movement to help people connect the dots between the election results and the “why” of our work before others define it for us.

Our why is simple: we understand that climate change is happening now and the frequency and severity of climate events will impact our ability to be healthy, safe and to prosper. But articulating this message can be tricky given the current political climate.

To explore recommendations for how to communicate both the urgency and necessity to take climate action, we spoke to three leaders of powerful campaigns to improve community health and wellbeing across the country: Marta Dina Argüello, Physicians for Social Responsibility–Los Angeles; Robyn Bussey, Partnership for Southern Equity; and Vernice Miller-Travis, Metropolitan Group. We share the following advice—inspired by their wisdom and our own experience—for community organizers and advocates on the frontlines of this work to consider.

Work with narrative forces

In books and film, intergalactic derrings-do build momentum by finding the nearest celestial body and “slingshotting” around it. In short, they use the gravitational force of larger objects to their advantage. In the context of current electoral messaging, when it is authentic to do so, the climate justice community should connect leading issues with climate change, health and equity, as well as the economic impacts of climate change, to propel our message forward. For example:

• Our military is concerned about the impact of climate change on its missions and installations.
• “Climateflation” is likely to drive food prices up by several points per year.
• Millions of climate refugees are forced to flee their homes every year, within their national borders and to nations near and far, and the United States is no exception.
• Drought and other climate emergencies increase the chances of conflict, including in the Middle East.

In so doing, repeat your audience’s language (e.g., the increasing price of milk) when it is also true to your voice.

Camouflage

We should blend in when it works to our advantage. If it’s possible to pass a priority policy under another banner—perhaps health or safety—without naming climate justice, it might be pragmatic and strategic to do so. The question is how important legislator or public education is in your context and whether there might be other ways to achieve educational objectives. As Vernice Miller-Travis often asks: “Do you want to be right? Or do you want to be effective?”

Meet people where they are

It sometimes sounds like we are having different conversations across the political spectrum. When you listen closely, there are times when we are having similar, if not the same, conversations—merely with different words.

Together with grantee partners of The Kresge Foundation’s Climate Change, Health and Equity initiative, Metropolitan Group and The Kresge Foundation developed and tested messaging for advancing climate justice in diverse policy environments. The core values we found that motivate climate and health equity policies are:

• Health and fairness (getting to the concept of equity)
• Prosperity
• Safety

Lean into examples and stories that connect with these values. If you work in a politically conservative context, listen for the language that these voters and candidates use to discuss related themes. For example:

• Military strength (safety)
• Hard work and earned benefits (prosperity)
• Ensuring all children are well-fed (fairness)
• Increasing asthma rates in young people (health)

It is difficult to get people to care about something new. The onus is on us to do the homework and understand what they care about, what we have in common, and how we can work together to fashion the society we all deserve.

Listen for the ways that values encapsulated within your policies and priorities connect with what already motivates your local officials, legislators and voting public, and help them connect the dots between those values and your work. Connecting to an individual’s closely-held values helps garner their attention, increases a sense of priority and relevance, and mobilizes activation.

Be bold

Many patriotic Americans take pride in our nation’s role as a leader in innovation. Focus on the boldness of proposed solutions and how they represent an opportunity for our nation to further prosper and be a leader on the global stage.

Stick with proven messaging strategies

Try to order your message in three parts:

1. Frame the issue in the context of a deeply held core value(s) shared by those for whom the message is intended. This is the “hook” of the message. The limbic system processes information 200 times faster than our cognitive system, so our first response to new information is how we feel about it before we consider what we think about it. As climate justice advocate Martha Dina Argüello reminds us: the truth alone will not set us free. It is the power and persistence of our organizing and storytelling that works. Robyn Bussey adds, “We focus on what’s happening. We come at them with the facts but also bring in our personal stories.”
2. Define the problem and solution in a way that makes sense, backed by enough facts and/or powerful stories to establish the credibility of the message. Only talking about the problem leaves your audience in a state of panic rather than power. The solution(s) you offer will make the case that there is a way forward and can give them hope.
3. Deliver a call to action so people know what you are asking them to do. E.g., let’s ensure our policymakers follow-through on their campaign promises post-November.

What advice do you have? Please share your own experiences and ideas in the comments below.

After the last ballot is counted, we still have opportunities to message our work. By never missing a chance to have our voice heard, and by being clear and consistent together, we can address the significant and disproportionate harm caused by our increasingly unstable climate so everyone can thrive.