Abstract to Concrete: How To Make People Give A S*** About Climate Change
As long as they keep talking about global climate change, they are not gonna go anywhere. ’Cause no one gives a s*** about that.
-Arnold Schwarzenegger, CBS News, 28th May 2023
In an interview with CBS News last year, Arnold Schwarzenegger said that “no one gives a s***” about climate change.
Sounds awful, taken out of context.
But it’s actually part of a smart strategy.
When “Arnie” was Governor of California, he faced a battle to pass environmental legislation.
There was opposition from his own party, the Republicans, and challenges from lobbyists and big business.
Plus threats of lawsuits.
And many environmentalists didn’t trust him, thinking his green pledges were just empty campaign promises.
But Arnie has never shied away from a challenge, so he faced it head on with a brilliant approach.
One of his key insights as a newcomer to climate action was that the phrase ‘climate change’ was a turnoff. Climate change is abstract, slow-moving, politically divisive, and scary.
So instead, he reframed the problem around the health dangers of air pollution.
