12 tools for communicating climate change more effectively

Be consistent, talk about risk rather than uncertainty, use visuals, tell human stories and give the top-line message before the caveats

Uncertainty is an unavoidable feature of the climate change debate - just like any other complex scientific and societal issue. But sceptics have used (and in some cases abused) the presence of uncertainty in climate projections to argue that the science is not sufficiently settled to warrant policies to cut carbon.

In response, scientists - who naturally tend towards nuance, caution and tentativeness in their communicative style - have often felt compelled to foreground the uncertainties and caveats in their work instead of focusing on the many aspects of climate science on which there is strong consensus.