Guidance for Communicating About Climate & Health

In general, communicating about the health consequences of climate change is effective in increasing people’s engagement and willingness to take action on this issue (Kotcher et al., 2021). Major health impacts linked to climate change currently affecting the U.S. population include air pollution, vector-borne and fungal diseases, extreme weather, wildfires, and extreme heat. See a summary of the Health Impacts of Climate Change.

Certain health impacts may be more compelling subjects for U.S. audiences than others. One study found that messages about air quality impacts were most effective in motivating audiences, followed by foodborne disease and extreme weather, while messages about mental health and extreme heat were least effective . Issues that strike the public as novel and worrisome, such as foodborne disease, may be more likely to capture attention (Kotcher et al., 2018).

To be successful, messages should contain three parts: a problem, a solution, and a call to action (Kotcher et al., 2021). However, messages calling for certain lifestyle changes, such as eating less meat, may not support and may even have a negative effect on a person’s motivation to take action (Palm et al., 2020; Saha, 2023). On the other hand, messages about actions people can take to protect their own health, such as how to find cool locations during a power outage or how to support action on energy policy, may be more motivating (Peters and Salas, 2022).

Narrative storytelling is a powerful tool for explaining scientific concepts to nonexpert audiences and may help people understand the relevance of a complex subject to their own experiences (Dahlstrom, 2014). For example, an article on preventing heatstroke published by the New England Journal of Medicine opened by telling the story of Mr. R., a 60-year old temporary worker for an Ohio roofing company, who died of heatstroke despite ambient temperatures of only 82 F (Sokas and Senay, 2023). It can be helpful when stories align with local context and experiences (Minnesota Department of Health, 2025). After a story succeeds in capturing a person’s attention and emotional investment, it can be followed up by information and data.

Providing numerical data such as statistics can make messages more credible for audiences. However, statistics must be framed carefully to be relatable and easy to understand. For example, instead of saying, “there was a 59% increase” in heat-related deaths, you could say, “where once 2 people would have died from excessive heat, now 3 people die” (Peters and Salas, 2022).

Above all, messages should be simple, clear, and delivered by trusted sources (Maibach, 2019). Proactive messages coming from trusted contacts such as nurses, pharmacists, and physicians may help people take action to protect their own health, especially during climate emergencies (Butterfield et al., 2021; Sahota et al., 2023).

During pediatric visits, families may respond positively to messages that are connected to children’s overall well-being, similar to messages about seat belt safety, sunscreen, and other accepted safety procedures (Lewandowski et al., 2021; Ragavan et al., 2021). In general, educating youth about the connection between climate and health is a promising strategy (APHA, n.d.). Therefore, pharmacy visits, pediatric wellness appointments, and other youth education platforms could be effective contexts to inform community members about climate change and health.

However, any patient encounter can be an opportunity to share messages about the impacts of climate change on health. For example, the “one minute for the planet” concept challenges health care providers to carve out time during each patient visit to connect the dots between environmental exposures and health impacts and encourage health-protective actions (Xie et al., 2023). There are multiple touchpoints in each clinical encounter that offer an opportunity for providers to logically incorporate a discussion of environmental factors, including health care screening, history taking, management of long-term conditions, and discharge and aftercare planning (for examples, see Kotcher et al., 2024). All health practitioners can consider how to leverage patient visits and interactions to relay climate-related health information to their patients.

The tables below summarize a) key takeaways for message content and delivery; b) options for health providers to take action; and c) policy options to enable systemic progress.