How to win the argument on climate change

The author argues that climate policy is inherently contested because it creates winners and losers, necessitating a strategic approach to communication and implementation. The proposed plan includes simplifying the climate narrative through personal and emotional storytelling, framing action as a transformational economic opportunity (green growth), designing policy packages that compensate those negatively impacted, building cross-party long-term consensus to avoid policy reversals, and focusing on rigorous implementation. The text highlights various international examples, such as Rwanda's green growth strategy and Bolivia's payments for ecosystem services, to illustrate how climate action can be integrated with development goals.

• To make the complex science of climate change accessible to the public, the author suggests rounding numbers to avoid ranges and probabilities, using illustrative images, and making the data personal, such as through carbon calculators.
• Climate action should be framed as a positive transformation rather than a grim duty, emphasizing benefits such as the creation of new jobs in the renewables sector and the potential for 'green growth' to provide more inclusive development.
• Because climate policies create economic winners and losers, the author argues for policy packages that include compensation for those negatively affected, citing Morocco's use of social programmes to offset the removal of energy subsidies and Bolivia's payments for ecosystem services.

APA

Maxwell, S. (2014). How to win the argument on climate change. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Simon-Maxwell-OpinionPaper_Final_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Maxwell, Simon. How to win the argument on climate change. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Simon-Maxwell-OpinionPaper_Final_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Maxwell |first1=Simon |title=How to win the argument on climate change |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=March 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Simon-Maxwell-OpinionPaper_Final_WEB.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maxwell2014how, author = {Maxwell, Simon}, title = {{How to win the argument on climate change}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Simon-Maxwell-OpinionPaper_Final_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }