I have a theory: a few decades ago, if the scientists who noticed that the planet was getting warmer chose a different phrase than ‘global warming’ to rally public support for their cause, serious work on the problem would have begun much earlier.

The problem with the phrase ‘global warming’ is that it’s a scientist’s point of view, not a citizen’s point of view. Yes, the planet as a whole may be getting warmer, but most people don’t grasp that - they see that they’ve had a unusually cold winter and laugh at the idea that their world is getting warmer. Why should they believe a scientist who says something they can clearly see is not true? The scientists were telling the wrong story. Their narrative was working at cross purposes to their goal. It allowed average people to dismiss them as wackos.

Imagine what would have happened if they had started out with the now fashionable phrase ‘climate change.’ The story the scientists could have told from the beginning was that the planet as a whole is warming and that will dramatically change weather patterns everywhere. Some places will see more storms, some will see less rain, some will be colder, some will be hotter. That narrative - change instead of warming - would have made it much more clear to the average Joe that it was an important issue that needs attention. Citizens everywhere could have seen that wow, there has been less rain (or more snow or stronger storms or whatever) in their world. It would have made more sense. It’s the right story, the one that helps rally people to their cause.

So if you’re out and about on this Earth Day trying to get people to fight global warming, consider rethinking your story. It’s not about the science, it’s about the people and how they will be effected. Tell them the story that lines up with their experience: climates are changing at a rapid rate and we need to slow that down.