Last year’s State of the Climate Report pulled no punches. And you’ve probably forgotten it already. In a world where everyday life can feel stressful enough, another dire warning from the world’s top scientists banging on about global oblivion just seems remote and overwhelming.
We’re more aware than ever of what must be done to reach Net Zero by 2050, yet awareness isn’t translating into action. Those of us who intend on making our Net Zero promise a reality need to ensure others join us, and that means meeting others where they are.
Climate scientists could learn a lot from behavioural scientists. As more and more climate-sceptic voices make their way into the mainstream, sustainability has a considerable branding problem.
We care… until it feels like a sacrifice
So, we’ll enthusiastically sort our glass from our plastics but not consider touching our meat consumption. Brands will proudly announce their use of recycled materials, whilst flying their teams across the world. And governments will subsidise EVs but are too scared to legislate carbon taxes.
We’re all for sustainability, just not when it feels like a sacrifice. A behavioural scientist calls this the intention-action gap. A user experience designer might recognise it as abandonment at checkout.
The problem is that losses hurt around twice as much as an equivalent gains help. Saving the planet is abstract and future oriented, but a juicy quarter-pounder hits the spot right now. It means that even if we can get people to weigh up the decision, it is not even close to being a contest for many of us.
So how do we change the record?
1. Accentuate the positive
It can all feel pretty hopeless. Although successive UK governments have committed us to Net Zero by 2050, we worry that it’s unachievable domestically and pointless internationally. Even if we progress at home, is the world doing anything? Are we being taken for mugs? What about China? But there’s a lot we can do at an individual level. Science has a pretty clear idea about how you and I need to act to move us most quickly on the journey. Eat less meat and dairy. Reduce air travel. And choose clean energy where you can in your home and when you travel. These are possible and scalable. Even the bigger things – 2024 was a record year for heat pump installations in the UK, with nearly 260,000 certified units installed. (And, well, what about China? Last year, its industrial-scale commitment to sustainable energy meant its CO2 emissions went into reverse for the first time. China may have reached its tipping point towards clean energy. That’s really good news. Let’s share it.)
2. Make it simple
We are overwhelmed with information. We pile detail on detail. Is an avocado more sustainable than an egg? Is paper always better than plastic? Should I wait for hydrogen boilers to appear or change to a heat pump now? The complicated truth is, normally, it depends. On the metrics, the context, and the trade-offs.
What is “sustainable” is never black and white. But most people don’t have time to dive into a lifecycle assessment of their lunchtime meal deal. When choices feel complicated, we revert to what’s familiar.
We trust the green or paper packaging to be more sustainable. We recycle because it is visible and simple. But the things that truly have the biggest impact feel too complex, too hidden and too much to think about.
So let’s simplify them. Clarify them. It’s our diets, our flying, our fossil fuel use. Let’s bang on about that again. And again and again and again. Confusion creates inaction. Complication kills momentum. Simplicity enables change.
3. Change the culture
Social norms have shaped our carbon habits more than policy ever could. Recent data suggests young men are among the heaviest carnivores in the UK. Not because they hate the planet, but because TikTok and gym culture frame meat eating as manly, 4x4s as aspirational, global exploration as Instagrammable.
Changing behaviour means changing culture, and that takes more than facts. It takes stories, symbols and people we trust and admire doing things differently. We’ve done it before. Behaviours around issues from cigarette consumption to drink-driving to equal marriage once seemed incredible, and now seem inevitable.
The same shift happened with seatbelts. Once upon a time they were seen as annoying and unnecessary, they’re now automatic. This didn’t happen through facts alone, but because the law changed, car ads showed them as responsible, and TV dramas included them in their scripts.
In 1957, Britons believed a BBC Panorama prank that spaghetti grew on trees. Now most of us eat it every week. We got used to it, we learned to like it, and no one forced it on us. Our culture doesn’t just evolve; it can be engineered.
Right now, too many climate advocates are waiting for the world to catch up, when they should be working with creatives, brands, artists and influencers, to help shape new norms. Find me the vegan alpha male!
4. Don’t assume we care
Climate messaging can be pretentious and ponderous. It assumes that the audience cares more about climate change than anything else because, you know, “the very fabric of life on Earth is imperilled”. Blah, blah, blah. But only 16% of Britons list it as one of the most important issues facing the country right now, down from 34% half a decade ago.
It’s not because we’re evil, but because it feels distant, complex and someone else’s problem. But what if we reframed the message? What do we care about?
“This heat pump will increase your property value by 5%”
“Pre-loved fashion lets you build a style no one else has”
“Your neighbour switched to an EV and is saving £50 a month”
We must meet people where they are, not where we want them to be. Make our messages personal, local and immediate. Climate comms needs to connect with what people care most about. Even voters sceptical of green politics care about migration, jobs and security, and climate change will hit all three.
You won’t win elections or customers just by foregrounding the plight of the polar bears. You win by joining the dots between carbon and what already matters to people.
5. Embrace being sneaky
Behavioural scientists know things that climate scientists don’t.
When Tesco announced earlier this year that its goal to triple sales of plant-based meat was now “highly unlikely”, it probably wasn’t surprised. A label that reads “meat-free” is a behavioural science nightmare. Instead of talking up the benefits, they just signal to consumers what they are missing. From meat-free sausages to dairy-free chocolate, all it signifies is that it is highly likely to be a compromise.
Label a biscuit “vegan” and the research says that your sales will drop. Yet many top-selling items like Oreo are already plant-based. It didn’t become one of the world’s most popular cookies by talking about its product being vegan, it just made a good biscuit.
Or take Tesla. It’s unlikely anyone’s buying Elon Musk’s EVs to prove how woke they are. A Tesla is a status symbol. It’s exciting new tech. And it is undoubtedly increasing the number of electric cars on our roads.
Sustainability should be the silent ingredient, not the headline. We should simply design better products, price them competitively, make them taste great and only then maybe mention carbon savings. We need to stop being so fixated on our own internal need to tell the world we are trying to save the planet. Sustainability works best when we place desirability first, and sustainability second.
6. Just do it
Politicians are timid as a species. Tell people to eat less meat or fly less and you will probably be branded out of touch. But in reality, the public is ahead of the politics.
In 2022, Spain updated its dietary guidelines to recommend a significant reduction in meat consumption, to around three servings a week – no bans, just a strong nudge. Meanwhile UK polling has shown surprisingly broad public support for EV incentives, frequent-flyer levies and even carbon taxes on meat and dairy.
We’ve seen it before. Even when there are grumbles around 5p plastic bags or smoking bans, we accept it when it’s happened, because we know it was the right thing to do. We hate change until we change. We just need politicians and brands alike to be brave and guide us on the journey we need to go on.
Behavioural resistance is undoubtedly real, but so is the post-change acceptance. Behavioural science is the missing ingredient. Despite the billions spent on climate communications, behavioural science remains an afterthought.
And yet, when applied, it works.
Make green energy the default and signups soar
List plant-based meals within menus (not in separate sections) and people chose them more
Shrink plate sizes and food waste drops
These aren’t awareness campaigns; they are design decisions. Imagine if every food delivery app made plant-based the default and chicken was an add-on, or if supermarkets placed low-carbon choices at eye level. These small subtle shifts have a big impact.
We need defaults, not decisions. We need messengers people trust. We need personal, timely, social and easy interventions, not more green logos or carbon labelling. Be it defaulting hotel guests into reusing their towel, turning celebrities into secondhand clothing ambassadors, or teaching university students about plant-based meals, we need to stop assuming good intentions equal good actions and understand who and where we can be most effective.
Sustainability will only work if it works for real people. So, unless you are targeting environmental die-hards, don’t lead with the green angle, lead with value. Taste, Convenience, Price. Pride.
