Drawing upon Covid-19 lessons to equip Aotearoa New Zealand to take bolder climate action

Abstract

This article highlights challenges in public discourse on climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand and explores why framing and narratives matter. Drawing on the country’s Covid-19 experience, it shows how narratives can help unlock climate action (both mitigation and adaptation). It proposes improving climate communications by providing structures to support sense-making and decision making, with more specificity around societal and individual actions. This will give people, businesses and communities more agency to respond to climate change. By fostering narratives that are hopeful, practical and people-centred, and that relate to people’s needs and aspirations, it is possible to build more momentum around climate action.