About

60 Word Entries

400 Words Identified

600 Frontline Experts

1100 Climate Books

8 Author Interviews

800+ Live Audience Members

Alexandra Climent
Ayisha Siddiqa
Anne Therese Gennari
Willow Defebaugh
Sage Lenier
Whitney McGuire
Saoirse Exton
Daphne Frias
Alexia Leclercq
Fatima Zahrae Tarib
Jes Vesconte
Catalina Santelices
Pamela EA

Words are the fundamental carriers of meaning in language, and climate literacy is worryingly low. We are living in one of the most definitive decades in human history and the climate conversation has been evolving at an accelerating pace in recent years. There is a narrow window for action and, without the right words, the right solutions will not be found in time.

A 2023 survey found:

1. Less than 5% of American respondents are considered highly climate literate
2. Only 15% of respondents in Germany, France, Italy, UK and USA prove to be climate literate

Increased climate literacy correlates directly with increased climate action. The same survey found those with high climate literacy are more than three times as likely to make an active effort to tackle climate change.

We believe knowledge is power and taking informed action is contagious. We also believe we have the resources and ideas we need to meet global climate targets.

We invite authors, scientists, Indigenous leaders, policy-makers, explorers and designers to select a word that is central to their climate work and define it in their own voice. We support each definition with factual information, photographic evidence, literature and resources for further learning.

Language shapes our world. From our relationships with each other to our relationships with the natural environment, our words carry the weight of our past, present and future. Our ability to create just climate futures will be expanded by the language we do hold. This is why we must ask: what is the language of tomorrow?

We can think of climate literacy as our language to engage with ‘climate change’. In this way, climate literacy serves as both a powerful tool and a predictor for our progress towards a just climate future.

However, our climate literacy is worryingly low and has been in decline in recent years. A 2023 global study found 48% of respondents demonstrated low climate literacy. Moreover, this share has significantly increased by an average of 16 percentage points in Germany, France, Italy and the UK, compared to just two years earlier. Only 7.9% of respondents exhibited high climate literacy. Climate literacy has also been found to be a strong predictor of climate action. For individual climate action, high climate literacy is a stronger enabler than climate stress or feeling personally affected.

Climate literacy helps us stay connected and intersectional. Collective action, or individuals working together toward a common good, is essential for achieving the scope and scale of solutions we require. Climate literacy is also crucial for a fair climate fight, where climate solutions foster transformative change and just transitions, rather than perpetuating existing injustices and disproportionate impacts. Studies show that countries most vulnerable to climate change are more likely to include climate literacy in their national curriculum frameworks than those primarily responsible for the emissions causing climate change.

Why does Climate Words exist? We are living in one of the most definitive decades in human history - and our narrow window for climate action is quickly shrinking. We need the world to have access to words that ensure shared understanding, enable global collaboration and share resources and knowledge to create enduring climate solutions.