Young people can tell climate stories that inform and mobilise others by practising conscious empathy, that is the foundation of effective climate communication. Climate narratives often trigger eco anxiety because negative events are amplified without offering hope or pathways forward. Storytellers should actively seek and highlight positive narratives within climate disasters, providing audiences with a “light at the end of the tunnel”, said Prof Ramesh Menon, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication,Pune.
He further focused on three-part storytelling approach that helps balance emotional impact with constructive engagement. The first step deals with humanising the event by focusing on lived experiences and personal stories of those affected. The second step involves clearly explaining why the event occurred, often underlining that many climate-related disasters are man-made and therefore preventable. The third and final step is to offer actionable, future-oriented solutions that show how similar crises can be avoided. He stated that by combining empathy, clarity, and solutions, young storytellers can inspire action and resilience instead of fear and hopelessness.
The expert speaker was responding to a question by the Yuva sustainability intern on what strategies can help young people tell climate stories that inform and mobilise others without triggering eco anxiety or a sense of hopelessness, during the 2nd Yuva Sustainability Webinar on Telling Climate and Disaster Stories Right.
Gaurangii Hari, a Gold Medalist Economics graduate from Amity University Noida, is a Yuva Sustainability Intern.