Category: Climate Fresk

At People For Nature, we often hear a fair question:

“If you’re all about nature, why do you focus so much on climate change?”

Here’s the answer — grounded in science:

Climate is not separate from nature.

Climate is a core component of Earth’s life-support system. It influences the patterns of temperature, precipitation, and seasonal cycles that shape where species live, when they breed, and how ecosystems function (IPCC, 2023).

From ocean currents to mountain meadows, from coral reefs to eucalyptus forests — climate defines the conditions in which nature exists. When those conditions shift rapidly, entire ecosystems are put at risk.

The climate crisis is a nature crisis.

According to the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment — the most comprehensive biodiversity report ever produced — climate change is already one of the top five drivers of biodiversity loss globally (IPBES, 2019). And that threat is growing.

Let’s look at some examples here in Australia:

• Koalas are losing their habitat as heatwaves, drought, and bushfires reduce the quality and availability of eucalyptus leaves — their sole food source (CSIRO, 2021).
• Marine ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef are suffering from mass coral bleaching driven by warmer oceans and ocean acidification (AIMS, 2023).
• Rainforests are becoming more fire-prone and fragmented as the dry season lengthens, threatening biodiversity hotspots like the Gondwana forests (WWF-Australia, 2022).

These impacts are not just future projections — they are happening now.

Nature regulates climate, too.

Nature is not just a victim of climate change — it’s also a powerful part of the solution. Forests, wetlands, soils, and oceans absorb and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to stabilise the global climate (IPCC AR6 WG3, 2022).

Protecting and restoring nature is essential if we are to limit global warming. For instance:

Natural climate solutions could deliver up to 30% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement goals (Griscom et al., PNAS, 2017).

Climate and biodiversity are inseparable.

They’re not “two crises.”
They’re two sides of the same coin.

When we act to restore ecosystems, we also build climate resilience — and vice versa. That’s why the IPCC and IPBES issued a historic joint report in 2021 calling for integrated action on climate and biodiversity. Their message was clear:

“We cannot solve climate change without addressing biodiversity loss, and we cannot halt biodiversity loss without tackling climate change.” (IPBES-IPCC, 2021)

So why aren’t we People For Climate?

Because climate is nature. It’s not something separate. And because our mission goes beyond emissions — it’s about reconnecting people with the living systems that sustain us: air, water, soil, wildlife, and ecosystems.

We believe that by empowering citizens with science-based tools to understand both climate and biodiversity, we can inspire deeper action for all of nature.

Let’s stop treating these challenges as separate problems.
Let’s work with nature, not against it.

Believe in a better future? So do we.

At People For Nature, our mission is bold: to educate 27,000 Australians by 2027 on climate and biodiversity, empowering them to take meaningful action for our planet.

Your donation fuels citizen-powered education that turns knowledge into action—and action into lasting change.
Donate today and be part of the change.

💚 Together, we can shape a planet-boundaries literate Australia.

References:

• IPCC (2023). AR6 Synthesis Report – https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
• IPBES (2019). Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – https://ipbes.net/global-assessment
• IPBES-IPCC (2021). Biodiversity and Climate Change Workshop Report – https://ipbes.net/events/ipbes-ipcc-co-sponsored-workshop
• Griscom et al. (2017). Natural climate solutions. PNAS, 114(44), 11645–11650. – https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1710465114
• AIMS (2023). Coral Bleaching Observations – https://www.aims.gov.au
• CSIRO (2021). Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy – https://www.csiro.au
• WWF-Australia (2022). Fighting Fire With Fire Report – https://www.wwf.org.au

Climate change must be an inclusive conversation, rooted in facts, not opinions. To tackle this crisis, we need to keep everyone informed—scientists, policymakers, sceptics, and communities most affected—ensuring that our discussions are based on reliable, evidence-based information.

Talking amongst ourselves is reassuring, but it isn’t enough.

At People For Nature, we’re committed to fostering open conversations with everyone, anytime, and ensuring that the focus remains on facts, not misinformation. Only through this approach can we build understanding, drive action, and face the challenges of climate change together.

Here are some of the myths we often hear in discussions about climate change—and why they are simply not true.

“The IPCC is pure political propaganda”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the most trusted source of climate science today.

But why?

✅ It’s Based on Thousands of Studies
The IPCC doesn’t rely on a single opinion—it reviews thousands of peer-reviewed scientific papers from experts worldwide.

🚨 It UNDER-restimates (not OVER-estimates) Climate Risks

• The IPCC operates on scientific consensus, meaning only findings that have extremely strong evidence make it into reports. Some argue this downplays worst-case scenarios, such as rapid ice melt or extreme weather feedback loops.
• Example: The IPCC initially underestimated Arctic sea ice decline—real-world observations have often moved faster than their models predicted.

✅ It’s a Global Scientific Effort
Hundreds of climate scientists contribute, and thousands review the reports, ensuring a fair and balanced understanding of climate change.

✅ It’s Independent & Transparent
The IPCC doesn’t push policies or political agendas. Reports go through rigorous fact-checking by experts and governments before publication.

✅ It’s the Foundation of Climate Action
World leaders, businesses, and organisations like the United Nations rely on IPCC findings to make informed decisions—such as the Paris Agreement.

✅ It’s Constantly Updated
Climate science evolves, and so do IPCC reports. New findings are published every few years, ensuring we always have the latest and best information.

🔎 The key takeaway

📢 The IPCC is neither alarmist nor dismissive—it presents the science as carefully as possible.

🐌 If anything, real-world climate events often happen faster and more intensely than IPCC projections suggest.

Science is evolving, but given the scientific consensus we have, waiting for 100% certainty is not really an option.

“The IPCC do not take into account the tilting of the Earth, which is causing a normal temporary warming”

Yes, the tilting of the Earth (axial tilt) does influence climate, but it is not the cause of modern climate change.

Here’s the science behind it:

1. Earth’s Tilt & Natural Climate Cycles (Milankovitch Cycles)

The Earth’s axial tilt (currently about 23.5°) affects how sunlight is distributed across the planet, contributing to natural climate variations over tens of thousands of years. This is part of the Milankovitch Cycles, which include:
✅ Axial Tilt (Obliquity): Changes every 41,000 years, affecting the severity of seasons.
✅ Orbital Shape (Eccentricity): Changes every 100,000 years, affecting how much solar energy the Earth gets.
✅ Wobble (Precession): A 26,000-year cycle that shifts the timing of seasons.

These cycles have been responsible for past ice ages and warm periods, but they happen too slowly to explain the rapid warming observed in the last century.

BUT… The current warming (since the Industrial Revolution) is happening in just decades, which is far too fast to be caused by natural cycles.

Science shows human impact

• The IPCC and NASA confirm that the warming trend over the last century is due to greenhouse gas emissions, not changes in Earth’s tilt.
• CO₂ levels are the highest in at least 800,000 years, and their increase directly correlates with human activity.

🔎 The key takeaway

-> The Tilt Matters, But Not for Modern Climate Change.

While Earth’s tilt has played a role in past climate shifts, today’s global warming is driven by human activity, mainly fossil fuel emissions. The rate of change is the key difference—what took thousands of years in the past is now happening in just a few decades.

If you’re ready to tackle climate delay discourse, join one of our Climate Literacy workshops and train to become a facilitator!

Find a workshop near your and join us: https://events.humanitix.com/host/people-for-nature

🔗 Sources and fact checking

• IPCC Official Website
• NASA
• IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Milankovitch Cycles
• Has Global Warming Happened Before? Earth’s History With Climate Change, watch the video.

In an era of rapid environmental change, the businesses that thrive are the ones that understand their role within ecological systems — not just their bottom line. Climate change isn’t only an environmental challenge; it’s a strategic risk, a market signal and a driver of new opportunities. Yet many organisations still struggle with deep understanding and clear internal alignment on climate science and response strategies.

At People For Nature, we’ve seen firsthand how science-based, participatory education changes the game — not just for awareness, but for organisational resilience, innovation and competitiveness.

📈 Climate Fresk: From Awareness to Action

The Climate Fresk workshop is a globally recognised, collaborative learning experience that turns complex climate science into an accessible, engaging and action-oriented session. Participants work together to map the causes and effects of climate change, uncovering systems connections and deeper insights in just a few hours.

For teams and leaders, this isn’t a lecture — it’s a shared learning journey that builds collective understanding, emotional engagement and strategic clarity.

🤝 Strategic Benefits for Your Organisation

1. Build Internal Climate Expertise

Climate Fresk deepens your team’s understanding of the science and implications of climate change. This equips your people to make informed decisions that align with sustainability goals, risk management and long-term planning.

2. Enhance Organisational Resilience
Understanding climate risks strengthens your ability to anticipate and respond to regulatory, market and supply chain shifts — supporting sustainability and continuity under uncertainty.

3. Boost Employee Engagement & Culture
Workshops like Climate Fresk demonstrate your commitment to meaningful action — and give staff a platform to learn, reflect and contribute. This builds morale, retention and a values-based corporate culture that attracts talent.

4. Add Value for Clients & Partners
Equipping teams with climate literacy enables you to partner more effectively with clients on sustainability strategy, ESG commitments, risk assessments and solution-driven innovation.

5. Unlock Innovation & Competitive Advantage
When teams understand the systemic drivers of climate change, they are better positioned to spot opportunities for new products, services, and business models that align with emerging market and regulatory expectations.

🔗 Integrating Climate Literacy into Corporate Strategy

Climate literacy isn’t just a “nice-to-have”. It increasingly influences:

• 💜 Investor confidence and ESG reporting
• 💜 Supply chain resilience and risk mitigation
• 💜 Brand reputation and customer trust
• 💜 Workforce capability and leadership development

By investing in structured climate education such as Climate Fresk, organisations signal leadership in climate action and strengthen their position in a rapidly evolving global economy.

📞 How People For Nature Can Support You

People For Nature partners with organisations to deliver tailored Climate Fresk workshops — in-house or virtually — designed to suit your team’s context, goals and learning needs. We help companies move past fragmented knowledge towards a shared systems understanding that drives strategic action.

If your organisation is looking to enhance resilience, build climate competence and demonstrate real leadership in sustainability, let’s start the conversation.

👉 Reach out to explore workshop formats, dates and customised pathways for your team.

💜 Together, we can turn climate literacy into competitive advantage — and action into impact.

We’re excited to announce that People For Nature has successfully trained a group of passionate ambassadors on Climate Pitch!

This new initiative equips our ambassadors with effective communication tools to engage and inspire others about the urgent need for climate action in 60 minutes!

The Climate Pitch has been designed to enable as many people as possible to :

• … Quickly and simply understand the key messages related to climate change
• … Respond positively
• … By motivating to engage on a personal, professional and collective level.

An interactive experience open to all, designed to give people the impetus to take action and strengthen their commitment.

Interactive & accessible content to motivate

• Based on the IPCC report
• Understanding orders of magnitude
• Reconnecting with our role

What participants say…

✔ How does it work?

The participants are guided through visuals and explanations and continuously engaged through a Quiz format incl. different types of questions/exercises. Split in 3 phases :

1. Intro & Warm-up

2. Guided Tour & Quiz

3. Debrief & Solutions

✔ What you need

😊 Your good mood and best self 😉

🖥️ a computer/laptop / tablet – following the conference on mobile is not recommended as our conference is based on visual storytelling

🛜a good WIFI connection

📱Your mobile phone to participate to the quiz!

Leveraging Science-Based Communication to Combat Climate Skepticism

Climate change skepticism varies significantly across different countries and regions. In Australia, skepticism is notably higher compared to many other industrialised nations. Interestingly, this skepticism is positively correlated with our per capita carbon dioxide emissions – ie. the higher we emit, the more skeptical we are...

Let’s work together to revert that trend, spread science-based climate literacy, and empower people to take informed action for a sustainable future.

If you’re interested in attending a public pitch, visit our Humanitix page: https://events.humanitix.com/host/people-for-nature

If you want to organise a Pitch session for your organisation or event, get in touch with us directly to schedule a session tailored to your needs.

References

• Scepticism in a changing climate: A cross-national study, Bruce Tranter, Kate Booth

Climate change is frequently described with terms like “urgent crisis” or “code red for humanity”. Yet alongside the science are narratives that slow us down — stories that normalise delay, confusion, or distraction. These narratives shape how communities, organisations, and leaders interpret their agency in responding to climate risks.

At People For Nature, we recognise that how we talk about climate matters. Words do not just communicate; they frame possibility, constrain thinking, and either enable or inhibit action. Our work builds not only scientific literacy but also critical literacy — the ability to discern narratives that enable action from those that hinder it.

🧠 Key Narratives That Enable Delay

Several common narratives consistently undermine climate action:

📌 1. “Solar Farms Create a Vortex That Changes the Weather”

This claim positions large-scale renewable energy as potentially problematic, suggesting that clean solutions themselves could harm ecosystems or the climate. While renewable energy projects have environmental considerations, overemphasising hypothetical risks distracts from the urgent need to decarbonise and scale solutions.

📌 2. “Climate Change Will Be Tackled Now That We Have Found Green Coal”

This is a classic technological distraction. The promise of a ‘silver-bullet’ solution like green coal fosters complacency, implying that systemic behaviour and energy transitions are unnecessary. It delays collective action and reinforces a passive mindset.

📌 3. “The Science Is Settled”

While scientific consensus is real, over-simplifying it can discourage continuous learning and nuanced decision-making in organisations and communities.

📌 4. “It’s Someone Else’s Responsibility”

Shifts accountability away from individuals, teams, or organisations and slows proactive engagement.

📌 5. “We Don’t Have Enough Time”

Urgency is real, but framing time as scarce without pathways to action can trigger paralysis rather than agency.

🌱 Why Addressing Narratives Matters

Narratives are not abstract. They influence:

• Perception of risk
• Sense of personal and collective agency
• Motivation to engage
• Willingness to collaborate across sectors
• Readiness to adopt change at scale

Without tools to examine and reframe limiting narratives, climate literacy remains incomplete. Facts alone do not drive transformation.

🔄 Dismantling Delay Through Systems Literacy

People For Nature’s approach combines science and systems thinking:

💜 Situating Science Within Systems
Understanding climate requires seeing how environmental, social, and economic systems interact — not memorising isolated facts.

💜 Naming and Reframing Limiting Narratives
We help learners identify unhelpful stories — like “green coal will fix everything” — and replace them with evidence-based frames that emphasise shared agency and actionable solutions.

💜 Co-creating Pathways to Action
Education is most effective when paired with practical strategies. Participants explore what they can do within their organisations, communities, and personal spheres.

💜 Building Collective Competence
Complex problems require coordinated responses. Shared understanding and narrative literacy equip teams and communities to act strategically.

📌 Reframing the Narrative — Examples

Instead of:

• “Solar farms might harm the weather” → “Renewable energy can be designed responsibly; scaling solutions is critical to climate mitigation.”
• “Green coal will fix climate change” → “Systemic transitions and behavioural change are essential alongside innovation.”
• “Someone else will fix it” → “Everyone has a role to play — individually and collectively.”

These reframes shift mindset from passive concern to active engagement, grounded in science.

🚀 Why This Matters for Organisations

For corporate partners, educators, and leaders, narrative literacy complements technical and strategic skills. It enables:

• 💜 Better internal alignment around sustainability goals
• 💜 More effective stakeholder communication
• 💜 Greater resilience in planning and risk assessment
• 💜 Staff confidence in climate-related decision-making
• 💜 Cultural shifts toward proactive contribution rather than reactive response

💜 Call to Action

Changing narratives does not mean ignoring reality. It means approaching climate challenges with clarity, agency, and strategic perspective. People For Nature supports organisations, schools, and communities to develop climate literacy and narrative awareness — so knowledge becomes power, not paralysis.

👉 Contact People For Nature to explore workshops and partnership opportunities for your team.

References

• A global assessment of the effects of solar farms on albedo, vegetation, and land surface temperature using remote sensing, Zhengjie Xu, Yan Li, Yingzuo Qin, Eviatar Bach.
• Impact of solar panels on global climate, Aixue Hu, Samuel Levis, Gerald A. Meehl, Weiqing Han, Warren M. Washington, Keith W. Oleson, Bas J. van Ruijven, Mingqiong He & Warren G. Strand.
• Posts mislead on solar farms’ climate impact, By Gwen Roley, AFP Fact Check is a department within Agence France-Presse (AFP).
• The truth about ‘clean’ coal, By Tim McLaughlin
• The era of the great carbon fraud is upon us, by Ben Oquist in The Canberra Times.