The Deutschlandfunk Kultur feature 'Klimadebatte am Limit' explores the question of how constructive climate communication can succeed in times of climate policy rollback. ConPolicy founder and managing director, Prof. Dr. Christian Thorun, reports in the feature on key results of the Quo Vadis research project. This project is conducted on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency and is aimed at developing a communication concept for international climate protection issues.
In the feature, Prof. Dr. Thorun emphasizes that in addition to (regulatory) legal and financial measures, communicative measures are also important in order to achieve the national goal of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. Especially in times of climate policy disillusionment, it is important to maintain and promote public acceptance of climate protection and motivate citizens to take action.
For successful climate communication, it is important to move away from the so-called information deficit model. This communication model assumes that a lack of knowledge is the main cause of skepticism or rejection of climate policy, for example, and that acceptance can be achieved with the help of information campaigns or education. The model ignores psychological, social and cultural factors, even though these have a strong influence on people's opinions, attitudes and behavior. Newer approaches, such as the interaction or participation model, place greater emphasis on dialogue and trust between science and the public as well as the structural conditions.
Prof. Dr. Thorun calls for a stronger focus on positive narratives and storytelling in the future, as well as not only talking about problems, but also pointing out solutions to problems.
The feature was broadcast on April 1, 2025 and can be accessed here.