Clear climate-risk communication starts with reliable evidence, but it does not end with explaining a hazard. People need to understand what could happen where they live or work, what is uncertain, and which realistic steps are available to them. The strongest messages are shaped with community input, delivered by trusted messengers, and designed to support decisions—not just transmit information.
Start with the decision people need to make
Before drafting, define the purpose of the communication. Is it meant to help residents prepare for extreme heat, inform a flood-planning process, explain a local adaptation proposal, or clarify how a changing hazard could affect services or livelihoods? A message becomes more useful when it is tied to a specific decision, audience, place, and time horizon.
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Climate communication guidance from the United Nations emphasizes connecting climate change to people’s lives, using relatable stories, discussing solutions, and avoiding stereotypes. Identify the relevant hazard and explain why it matters locally: for example, potential effects on familiar places, housing, health, public services, work, or cultural resources. Do not assume that everyone in a community faces the same exposure, has the same priorities, or can take the same action.
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Use current, authoritative sources, and make it possible for readers to see where claims came from. The UN points communicators toward peer-reviewed research and the IPCC’s assessments. For a local message, distinguish global climate trends from regional projections and from conditions specific to a neighborhood, facility, or household. Do not present a broad projection as a precise local forecast.
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Explain the hazard in terms that help people interpret it: what may change, where, over what period, and with what consequences. If the evidence does not support a confident answer, say so plainly. Describe what is known, what remains uncertain, why the uncertainty exists, and when or where updates will be shared. Uncertainty is not the same as having no useful information.
Use numbers with their context
Include a numerical estimate only when a trustworthy source supports it. State what the number measures, the geography and period it covers, and the comparison being made. Keep denominators consistent when comparing groups or scenarios, and explain the result in ordinary language. Avoid false precision: a detailed-looking number can mislead when the underlying estimate is uncertain or applies to a much larger area than the audience’s location.
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The CDC’s risk-communication guidance offers general advice on explaining uncertainty and numerical risk. It is public-health guidance, so apply its communication principles carefully rather than treating it as climate-specific evidence.
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“Different communities” is not a single audience category. Begin by asking people how they describe the hazard, what they are concerned about, which sources they trust, and what could make it difficult to act. Community partners can help define the audience, identify practical barriers, review draft messages, and flag language or examples that do not fit local experience.
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Use familiar, plain language and remove technical details that do not help people make the relevant decision. Organize material into short, scannable sections. Choose language, examples, and delivery channels based on what the intended audience says it needs—not on assumptions about culture, literacy, disability, or access to digital services.
Visuals can make information easier to grasp, but they need to work for the audience and the place. A map, chart, or pictograph should be geographically relevant, legible, and understandable to the people who will use it. Ask members of the intended audience to interpret it; do not rely only on the communicator’s reading of the graphic.
Put trusted local messengers at the center
Technical experts can explain evidence, but expertise alone does not guarantee that a message will be trusted or understood. Work with community members, local organizations, and leaders who have established relationships with the people affected. The National Academies’ 2022 report, Engaging Socially Vulnerable Communities and Communicating About Climate Change–Related Risks and Hazards, describes partner organizations as assets because they “are close to their audiences; know how to tailor information to those audiences effectively; and, most important, have trusted leaders who can be effective spokespersons”.
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Trusted partners should be involved in shaping and interpreting the message, not simply asked to repeat a script. Recognize communities as sources of knowledge, leadership, and innovation. Acknowledge the people and organizations already working on solutions instead of portraying those affected only as victims.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Explain risk in context and invite a response
A hazard description alone may leave people unsure what the information means for them. Explain how the risk relates to familiar places, services, livelihoods, or choices, and compare it only with a relevant baseline or alternative. The U.S. EPA’s risk-messaging guidance treats communication as an exchange: it involves sharing information among assessors, managers, communities, media, interest groups, and the public. It also emphasizes context, appropriate comparisons, risk-reduction advice, and dialogue.
Give people a way to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and contribute local knowledge. Feedback can reveal that a message is unclear, that a proposed action is impractical, or that an important concern has been overlooked. Explain how that input will inform decisions or future updates; do not invite participation if there is no meaningful way to respond to it.
Connect risk information to feasible action
Pair the explanation of a hazard with realistic next steps. Tell people what an action is intended to do, who can take it, and where to find more information or assistance when that information is established. Distinguish between steps individuals can take and decisions that require institutions, public agencies, or collective planning. Do not imply that people can solve a systemic risk through personal behavior alone.
Risk communication should help people participate in decisions about managing risk. The National Academies report stresses clear objectives and options for risk management, while the EPA guidance emphasizes risk-reduction advice and dialogue. When the available options are limited, say that directly rather than presenting an impractical checklist as a complete solution.
Quick Recap
A practical review checklist
- Purpose: Is the intended decision or response clear?
- Evidence: Are claims tied to credible sources, with the hazard, place, and time period identified?
- Uncertainty: Does the message distinguish what is known from what remains uncertain and explain when updates may come?
- Relevance: Does it connect the risk to local concerns without assuming everyone has identical exposure or resources?
- Comprehension: Are the language, structure, visuals, and channels usable by the intended audience?
- Trust: Did community partners help shape or review the message, and are trusted local messengers involved?
- Action: Are the suggested steps feasible, clear about their purpose, and accompanied by a way to ask questions or offer input?
- Respect: Does the message recognize community knowledge and leadership rather than defining people only by vulnerability?
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