Strategies to Popularize Climate Solutions: Gaining Traction with Multi-Solving

While some of us who follow climate issues closely are enthusiastic about the latest developments in and adoption of climate tech solutions, the public remains mostly unaware. Most of society is in a “business as usual” mindset, unconcerned about both the need for and the benefits of these solutions. As a result, the public demand for these solutions, and the pressures on companies to bring them to market or adopt them internally, isn’t what it could be. Without that demand pressure, “business as usual” will likely prevail until the rapidly diminishing window of time we have to avert climate change’s worst impacts has passed. What are some ways we can support speedier action? How can we shift the prevailing conversation?

People become most invested in and animated about solutions and technologies that directly address their needs. “Kitchen table” issues like gas prices, the cost of home heating, or access to safe water get peoples’ attention. One of the biggest levers we have is to focus on benefits that touch people directly, in language to which they can relate. It is not enough to rely on people accepting the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nor do we seem to be able to sway people with arguments about the ability of these solutions to help us avoid the worst impacts of climate change. So, if climate change is not on the top of their agenda, are there other issues that would get them to rally behind some of these key solutions? Yes, perhaps there are.

Many of the same technologies that help mitigate the impacts of climate change also have a host of other benefits, some of which are quite compelling, and might be more persuasive to turn lagging adopters into proponents.

Electric vehicles, which may appear too inconvenient, expensive, or just simply require too many lifestyle changes for broad swaths of the population, may become more attractive when they are positioned as batteries on wheels that can power your home in a blackout, your camping trip or tailgate party. Ford Motors recognized this when they introduced the Ford Lightning with bi-directional charging. Right from the start their marketing featured the ability to connect electrical devices or a home to the truck, thereby creating a different kind of buzz than previous EV launches. Tesla, which is aggressively marketing its batteries for home energy storage, announced in early March that they will have bi-directional capability in its cars by 2025.

Biosolid digesters from Bioforcetech are an example of a technology that can solve multiple problems at the same time. Disposing of biosolids from human waste is a cost borne by every municipality, with the additional impacts of environmental contamination from toxins, and off-gassing of methane and CO2. Similarly, agricultural and food wastes can be costly and problematic to dispose of properly. Bioforcetech’s digesters reduce the overall disposal costs, break down or bind toxins, sequester CO2 and at the same time create a product with multiple uses, from a beneficial agricultural additive to potential black colorant materials that can replace fossil-fuel-based carbon black.

Carbon capture technologies may be too obscure, confusing, and esoteric for the mainstream. Drinking water, however, is a need everyone understands, and the supply is becoming strained in many locales. One solution being adopted – desalination - has an unfortunate byproduct, a polluting brine. One creative company, Capture6, has a solution that will simultaneously address the brine issue, and sequester carbon. Again, a solution to multiple problems that can hopefully gain traction.

The Biden Presidential Campaign, and subsequently the Biden Administration, have leveraged kitchen table economic issues to popularize and pass key climate change policies. By coupling investments in climate mitigation and adaptation with job creation and investment, they are driving a whole host of climate technologies into the mainstream.

While not sufficient, leveraging issues people already know they care about can entice more of the public to support a broad array of climate solutions. With a bit of creativity, putting time and effort into addressing other perspectives, we can broaden the support for climate solutions.