Addressing mental barriers

Now that we’ve explored framing techniques to mobilise people, it’s time to consider what gets in the way of effective climate communication: the mental barriers that can prevent people from taking action or even from engaging with the issue overall.  

By understanding and addressing these mental obstacles, we can be much more effective in mobilising people and inspiring action. 

Four key mental barriers to climate action 

The graphic below illustrates four common barriers that prevent people from taking climate action (Waeber et al., 2021). Each barrier can be formulated as a yes/no question, where a ‘no’ implies a significant obstacle to taking effective climate action.  

The first barrier is lack of information 

Have I heard about the climate crisis? Those who answer no (the Uninformed) are unlikely to take climate action because they don’t know that we face a climate crisis that demands urgent action. Unaware of the issue, the Uninformed continue living ‘business as usual’. 

The second barrier is denial, or lack of belief 

Is this real (or: is it really an issue that requires urgent and far-reaching action)? Those who answer no (the Deniers) are unlikely to take climate action because they don’t consider the issue to be real, significant or urgent. They may actively resist change and dismiss proposed solutions. 

The third barrier is lack of personal concern (or lack of capacity for concern) 

Does it matter to me? Those who answer no (the Occupied) are unlikely to take climate action because they are occupied with other issues or priorities, and/or don’t see the climate crisis as a pressing personal concern. The Occupied often lack the time, energy, capacity or resources to engage with the climate crisis. Think of a single mother struggling to make ends meet for her children and herself. 

The fourth barrier is lack of power/agency or means 

Can I change this? Those who answer no (the Powerless) are unlikely to take climate action because they don’t see any way in which they can affect change. Whether due to a lack of resources, influence or knowledge, the Powerless believe that they are unable to make a meaningful impact and thus do not engage actively. 

Only those who overcome all four mental barriers (the Empowered) are likely to take climate action. They have heard about the climate crisis, believe it’s real, are personally concerned, have the capacity to engage with it and believe their actions can meaningfully contribute to change. The Empowered are often the change-makers who implement solutions and mobilise and empower others to join the cause and take action. 

To motivate and empower people to take action, all four barriers need to be addressed and overcome. 

This requires not just providing information but also addressing beliefs and values, helping people to identify where they have agency and highlighting ways in which they can meaningfully contribute to change.  

A key aspect of effective climate communication is to understand which of these barriers (if any) may be holding your audience back. That way you can focus on addressing these barriers and reducing them as much as possible.

As we’ve discussed previously, climate action requires collective effort, so keep these barriers in mind when things don’t seem to move as quickly as you’d like.  

Share your thoughts  

Thinking about each of these mental barriers, consider your responses to the following questions: 

• What arguments, approaches or communication strategies might help people move past each barrier? 
• What messages might resonate with them and how can you bring people along on this journey toward climate action? 

Share and discuss your responses with other learners in the Comments section.