Why is the climate crisis a marketing problem?

We know it. We know coral reefs are dying, that CO₂ concentrations are reaching record highs, and that we are no longer going to stay within the “safe” 1.5°C warming limit. And still we drive to the supermarket for a cheap steak and book that city trip to Barcelona with a budget airline. It is the biggest paradox of our time: the value-action gap. The gap between what we believe and what we do. For a long time we thought more information was the solution. “If people just know the facts, they will change,” was the idea. But facts rarely change behavior. Our brains simply are not built for abstract, distant threats. It is time to use the science of psychological persuasion for the survival of our species.

The psychological barrier

Why does fear not work? Communication research shows that images of wildfires and melting ice caps lead to paralysis. When a problem feels too big and unmanageable, a psychological defense mechanism kicks in: we shut down.

On top of that, humans are champions of loss aversion. Giving something up (meat, flights, the car) feels twice as painful as the gain of a healthier planet in thirty years. The marketing lesson is simple: stop selling “less” and start selling “better.”

From climate fatigue to moonshots

The solution can be found in reframing the message. Instead of making a moral appeal to our willingness to sacrifice, we can play to the rule: What’s in it for me? Home insulation is not a climate measure. It is a way to cut the energy bill in half and make your home more comfortable. Driving electric is not a sacrifice. It is a superior driving experience with less maintenance. We need moonshot projects, like electrifying cities or making the North Sea plastic-free, that do not make people anxious, but excited.

The fairness button

Another crucial insight is that we are social beings with a deep-rooted sense of fairness. Communication specialists know that behavior change is only widely accepted when it feels fair. This is where communication and legislation meet.

Take a meat tax or a flight tax. If these are presented as punishment for citizens, they face massive resistance. But as soon as we change the framing to fairness, sentiment shifts.

For example: • By focusing an air travel tax on the 10% of frequent flyers who cause most damage, we protect the annual holiday of the average citizen. • By directly returning a meat tax through a VAT exemption on vegetables and fruit, we reward healthy choices instead of only punishing unhealthy ones.

The role of the system

Is marketing alone enough? Absolutely not. The smartest campaign cannot compete with a system where pollution is cheaper than sustainability. But marketing is the crowbar that opens the door for political courage. Good marketing creates the support politicians need to introduce taxes and laws without being voted out.

Conclusion: a new story

Let’s stop treating the climate crisis like a scientific report, and start treating it like a human story. A change story about quality over quantity, fairness over arbitrariness, and gains over losses.

Advertisers and marketers, who spent decades helping to create overconsumption, now have a moral duty to use that same creativity for the solution. The marketing sector is a bigger part of the problem than we want to admit. Which means it can also be a bigger part of the solution.

If we understand human psychology, we do not have to save the earth with a wagging finger, but with an enticing vision of a world that is simply more enjoyable, fairer, and healthier for everyone.