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Adapt a climate message by first learning what a specific audience needs to understand or do, then co-creating, translating, testing and revising it with people from that audience. Use relevant languages and accessible formats, locally meaningful examples, and messengers and channels people trust—while preserving the evidence, uncertainty and practical meaning of the original message. There is no single “local” perspective: people in the same community may differ in language, experience, values, access and authority.
Where should you start when adapting a climate message?
Start with the people and the decision—not with a translation or a cultural theme. Define who the message is for, what they need to understand or do, and what evidence, uncertainty and practical guidance must remain clear. A message about preparing for a heat wave, for example, should be shaped around the audience’s real decisions and circumstances, not simply recast in familiar-sounding words.
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Then learn how the intended audience describes the issue, what concerns it, what information it already trusts and how people prefer to receive it. Interviews, focus groups, town halls and conversations with trusted local partners can help surface these details. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication guidance for local governments recommends listening through interviews, focus groups and town halls; those methods should be adapted to the community and setting rather than treated as a fixed recipe.
Do not treat a broad identity label as evidence that people share one language, viewpoint or need. A community may include multiple language groups, generations, disability access needs, livelihoods and relationships to local institutions. Include the people most likely to be missed by the usual consultation process, and consider who has the authority to speak for whom.
Is translation enough?
No. Translation is one part of language access, not proof that a message is understood or appropriate. Terms for climate risks, seasons, ecosystems or recommended actions may not map neatly from one language or worldview to another. The UNFCCC’s 2024 report on the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform warns that language barriers can dilute cultural concepts and ecological knowledge.
Use a fluent reviewer familiar with the intended audience to check meaning, readability and tone. Ask reviewers to flag unfamiliar terms, ambiguous instructions and concepts that need explanation rather than a literal equivalent. Do not describe a translation as validated unless it has actually been reviewed and tested with the people it is meant to reach.
Language choice also includes format. Consider whether people can use the message in written, spoken, visual or other accessible forms, and whether the format works for people with disabilities or limited access to particular technologies. Yale’s local-government guidance recommends relevant-language translation, accessibility mechanisms and visual aids where useful. A visual can clarify a process, but its symbols and assumptions should be tested rather than presumed universal.
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Ask people from the intended audience which examples, stories and ways of explaining the issue feel accurate and useful. Treat proposed wording and imagery as hypotheses to test, not as traits that can be inferred from someone’s ethnicity, religion, occupation or location. A local reference that resonates with some residents may not work for others.
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Use specific local experiences only when they are verified and relevant to the message. If drawing on Indigenous, traditional or local knowledge, provide appropriate context and seek permission where applicable; do not present a community’s knowledge as a single, interchangeable viewpoint. The UNFCCC’s 2024 guidance emphasizes diverse values, worldviews and knowledge systems. Its adaptation guidance also says that, where appropriate, planning should be informed by Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge alongside the best available science—not instead of it.
One example illustrates why local choices should not be generalized: Yale describes a San Francisco campaign whose launch timing and visual design were aligned with its intended Chinese community. That is evidence of a locally chosen approach, not a formula for communicating with Chinese audiences elsewhere or with every person in that community.
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Who should deliver the message, and through which channels?
Choose messengers and channels with the intended audience. Depending on the issue and place, a trusted messenger might be a community liaison, local organization, health professional, faith leader or another locally appropriate person. A distant institution may have useful expertise, but it should not assume that its own voice or preferred channel carries the same credibility as a locally trusted one.
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How can you compare message versions before choosing one?
Use a short review matrix to compare drafts and delivery options. These criteria synthesize institutional and practitioner guidance; they are not an experimentally validated ranking. A strong result on one dimension does not compensate automatically for a serious gap on another.
| What to assess | Questions for reviewers |
|---|---|
| Language accuracy and readability | Does the wording preserve the intended meaning? Are terms understandable to the people who will use it? |
| Accessibility and format | Can people with different access needs use the format? Would spoken, visual or other accessible forms help? |
| Cultural relevance | Do intended readers find the examples and framing relevant and respectful, or do they feel assumed or stereotyped? |
| Messenger and channel | Does the audience trust the messenger and use the proposed channel for this kind of information? |
| Local knowledge and inclusion | Are relevant knowledge and perspectives represented with appropriate context, permission and attention to differences within the community? |
| Action clarity and feasibility | Can readers tell what action is recommended, and is it practical for the people being asked to take it? |
What is a practical adaptation workflow?
- Define the audience and outcome. Specify who needs the message, what decision or action it supports, and which evidence and uncertainties must remain intact.
- Listen before drafting. Use appropriate interviews, focus groups, town halls or trusted local partners to learn about concerns, terminology, access needs and preferred channels.
- Co-create the message. Invite people from the intended audience to shape the framing, examples and delivery. UNDP guidance specifically recommends co-creating with relevant audiences. Do not assume that people who share an identity have the same perspective.
- Adapt language and format. Choose the relevant language or languages, have fluent community reviewers check meaning, and consider accessibility and visual aids. Distinguish a draft translation from one that has been tested with its intended readers.
- Connect the content to local meaning. Use verified local experiences and priorities. Include Indigenous, traditional or local knowledge where appropriate, with permission and context when applicable.
- Select messengers and channels with the audience. Consider trusted local figures and organizations, then check that the proposed messenger and channel suit this audience and issue.
- Review, revise and stay engaged. Ask intended readers what they understood, whether the message feels accurate and respectful, and whether the requested action is practical. Revise in response and continue the relationship.
How do you keep the science accurate while changing the message?
Separate the evidence from the way it is explained. Keep the underlying findings, uncertainty and practical meaning intact; adapt the language, examples, format, messenger and delivery to fit the audience. Do not remove uncertainty to make a message sound more certain, or imply that a local example proves a broader scientific claim.
The UNFCCC describes adaptation actions as dependent on a community’s unique context and states that there is no “one-size-fits-all-solution.” That principle applies to communication too: the message should fit the people and decision at hand without changing what the evidence supports.
Which resources can help practitioners go further?
CDKN’s 2019 Communicating climate change: A practitioner’s guide is aimed explicitly at climate communicators in developing-country contexts; check its examples against current local conditions before applying them. The UNFCCC Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform also offers the Spanish-language Manual Diálogos Interculturales Cambio climático desde la visión de los Pueblos Indígenas. These resources can inform practice, but neither should be treated as a universal translation manual.
The IPCC’s discussion of African contexts notes the potential of Indigenous languages for climate communication and adaptation services. That regional point should not be generalized to all languages or communities. Across contexts, the essential test remains whether the people a message is meant to serve can understand it, trust its delivery and use it without its evidence or meaning being distorted.
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