As we see the US and various businesses dial back their sustainability commitments, it’s clear for those of us still passionate about tackling climate change that we need to find new ways to spur on progress.

Working in communications, we often ask ourselves how we can have the most impact. There’s a fine – and very important – line to tread. We never want to be part of greenwashing; but we do want to make a splash when it can make a positive difference.

Sometimes, the best insights for PR come from outside our industry.

This week, Dr Louise Edgington gave a fantastic talk about climate psychology, as part of London Climate Action Week. She talked about the psychology behind climate “stuckness”, eco-anxiety and healthy climate engagement.

There’s plenty we can apply to sustainability PR. Here are just 5 of the insights that Dr Edgington shared and how we as PR professionals can apply them moving forwards:

Insight: The more we hear something, the more it sinks in – even if we know it’s not true to begin with. This is known as the ‘illusory truth effect’.

This is both terrifying and motivating. We know there’s a huge amount of chatter about climate change not being a real problem and pursuing net zero not being worthwhile. So this makes our jobs as communicators even more important. If it’s a numbers game – affecting our views whether we like it or not – we need to ensure the proliferation of accurate information.

Insight: When we’re talking about small numbers (like 1.5˚C), most people struggle to appreciate the scale of impact.

Numbers are often tricky for PRs. Too specific and people don’t take them in. Too big and they become intangible without proper contextualisation. But, do we consider often enough that numbers can also be too small to understand? And what do we do about that? This is where the human element comes in. Forget the numbers… (or, at least, let’s use them sparingly). What are the real-life implications for peoples’ lives?

Insight: If we’ve invested time or money in something, we cling to it, even if it’s not worth it long-term. This is the ‘sunk cost fallacy’. We’re also loss-averse by nature.

If we react badly to losses, it seems time to flip the script and talk gains. We’ve heard the jeopardy. Let’s start talking more about the benefits for humankind if we do more to tackle climate change now.

Insight: As humans, we’ve evolved to want to be part of a group, so we’re incredibly powerful at influencing each other. Studies show that commitment from just 25% is the tipping point for large scale social change to happen.

Often, businesses want to reach large audiences with their communications. This can be overwhelming when comms planning, and can dilute impact if we don’t get it right. So next time you’re trying to influence a whole stakeholder group, why not break it down. Concentrate on influencing the 25% and make them your advocates for change.

Insight: A lot of people suffer from climate anxiety and it’s a particular danger for those working in sustainability, trying to make a difference. A recent Reuters Institute survey of 268 journalists on five continents found that nearly half of climate journalists are suffering from depression or anxiety.

Now, I’m not suggesting that we as the PR industry can take on the challenges of mental health in journalism and sustainable professions. But can we do our part to convey more hope, alongside the bad news? The positive stories, the tangible progress? Absolutely, and the industry should challenge itself to do so.

Thanks to Dr Edgington for such a brilliant talk, and giving us plenty of food for thought.

By Samantha Standring (Director, Grayling UK)