Climate Crossroads: A Research Based Framing Guide

Released in April 2009 by the Social Capital Project on behalf of 25 national environmental organizations, the guide makes recommendations on how to reframe global warming to promote behaviour change. The main objective for this Framing Guide is to provide the communications insights to engage and activate environmental supporters and allies. While the Framing Guide was designed with sympathetic audiences in mind, it will also provide relevant and helpful direction for communications with all audiences. This guide is informed by several sources. It is a summary of what is known to date about the most effective communications approaches, developed by drawing on more than 25 advocacy organizations’ experiences in the field, the body of research they built over the years, and new research conducted specifically for this project. This document identifies the ideas and values that will lead to public support for global warming advocates’ shared objectives over the long term, and suggests ways to bridge from specific policy concerns to the broader, shared narrative. It provides vetted text both to provide a common language and to inspire new words and phrases that illustrate shared themes. It is the authors’ intention that this document will inform, shape, and enhance the conversation with citizens and leaders and spark new thinking among advocates about how to best advance the shared goal of addressing global warnimg