The Political Left Needs To Change Their Environmental Message

Photo by RawFilm on Unsplash

I spent two years working on public relations and communication for a Canadian conservative political party and learned a hell of a lot about how Conservative voters think. Now, our party system in Canada works a bit different then it does in the States, so instead of your two base choices — Democrats and Republicans — plus a few independents, Canadians have a much broader selection when it comes to our political choices.

But, a conservative is a conservative no matter what country you’re in. And the current environmental messaging doesn’t work on any of them.

Now, it may surprise you to learn that I am pro-sustainability. I know, I know, but conservative? We’ll get to that eventually. But I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing and analyzing environmental messaging for my Master’s (and in my free time, because I’m a nerd) and I’ve come to the conclusion that environmental messaging is designed for those on the left side of the spectrum. And without a serious change, we’re never going to successfully transition to a sustainable future.

So here’s some insight on how to talk gear environmental messaging towards conservatives.

The do or die method will always fail