Excerpt from this story from Extinction Today:

If we want more people to connect with crucial news about the climate and nature emergencies, we have to stop over-complicating the message. In pretty much everything we say…

Have you ever considered the words we use on a daily basis in an attempt to wake people up? We are causing them to hit the snooze button for longer.

As a journalist, one of my tasks is to translate difficult concepts into words and phrases that anyone on the street could understand.

Yet the media is complicit in bamboozling its audience with terms which leave most people none the wiser about how important they are.

I’ve written a list below of common environmental terms, and suggested alternatives. Some may surprise you - for example, even the word ‘climate’ is included as being too complex.

But remember that most people are fairly simple folk, most haven't got science degrees, most will use shorter words in place of longer alternatives.

To effectively communicate a message, we have to speak in the language and tone of those we are aiming at. Not the language of scientists and politicians.

The Hit List

Environment

A word that encompasses so much, it’s difficult to develop a personal connection with it. Try natural world, or even our surroundings.

Climate

We’ve had fun with this one, haven’t we? When the leaders of the world confuse climate with weather, it must mean it is difficult to understand - or perhaps, the word is purposely being skewed to send a biased message of misinformation to an uneducated base of followers. Perhaps…

So why don’t we actually talk more about the weather? When it comes to climate change in particular, explain more about a dangerous increase in extreme weather.

Biodiversity

Communicating the importance of the biodiversity crisis and its link with the climate crisis is crucial, but again, it’s an all-encompassing term that is difficult for a lot of people to understand.

Try using terms like all life on Earth, and the wide variety of plants and animals.

Sustainability

The buzzword which has seen increasing prominence in recent years, yet can be a difficult concept for mass audiences to understand.

Try talking about living in a way that protects our natural resources and living within our means for a better future.

Carbon Footprint

This has never been an easy one to measure, quantify or explain, and is by now associated with too much negative messaging about personal vs corporate and government responsibility.

Just talk about our impact on the planet instead.

Greenhouse Gases

Many of us can understand the reason for using the word ‘greenhouse’, but maybe explain more often that carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are heat-trapping gases - using more of them traps heat in the atmosphere.

Fossil Fuels

This term should be largely understood, but don’t shy away from writing or saying coal, oil and gas - the fact that they are formed from ancient organic matter is not really relevant.

We’ve come up with another great term there, haven’t we?…. Renewable energy is a difficult concept for many to grasp - instead perhaps call them endless energy sources.

Net Zero

As this term is all over politics, many people don’t trust it, never mind understand it. And a lot of politicians don’t seem to understand it, either.

Talk about achieving a balance between the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted and those removed from the atmosphere, or balancing emissions to zero. ‘Net’ is the word that confuses a lot of people.

Deforestation

Again, this should be largely understood, but it’s a word that removes the horror. Let’s communicate more about cutting down forests - for animal farming, logging, or development.

Desertification

Another word which has all serious consequences removed. It actually sounds quite appealing…We’re talking here about turning land into desert, due to human-caused climate change.

Rewilding

A nicer word, and perhaps more easily understood, but let’s move away from all the media scare stories of wolves being introduced into every community in the world, and focus on bringing back nature.

Circular Economy

For the green movement, an economic model based on reducing waste and reusing resources is central to achieving transformative success.

It’s not a sexy term though - just talk about the importance of recycling and reusing everything.

Biodegradable

Another scientific word that is becoming more understood, but still requires explaining to most people.