Climate change needs rebranding.

As the Earth suffers another summer of record-breaking heat and wildfires across the globe, these horrifying stories make for fearsome headlines in the media.

Yet as the stories of extreme weather events continue to be published, and the headlines continue to frighten us, this mediated fear does little to inspire the bold, collective action this crisis needs.

Our response to climate news is insufficient—mainly because this ‘news’ isn’t new.

We are too used to these headlines, which make us feel powerless in our daily lives to solve this huge environmental problem.

What’s wrong with the current language?

Referring to ‘climate change’ is benign—the phrase is vague and allows for disagreement about a) what is causing the change and b) whether the change is bad. The ‘change’ is clearly bad.

While ‘climate crisis’ is effective in signalling the gravity of the situation, it’s anxiety-inducing and suggests a scale of emergency best addressed by larger government bodies and agencies.

Referring to the ‘climate catastrophe’ rings alarm bells, but also evokes a massive, tragic disaster that has already happened. Crucially, the word ‘catastrophe’ has connotations of ruin and doom.

If people feel doomed, what can they do?

We need climate headlines that inspire committed, collective action.

Here are three actionable names for climate change that media should adopt:

1. Climate cause

Whether due to altruism or egotism, people like supporting charitable causes with donations and volunteering. There are plenty of climate-fighting organisations already doing this vital work.

People need to feel inspired to support those groups the same way they do the Red Cross, the Salvation Army or even the Dog’s Trust.

If the climate is a worthy ‘cause’, people will be more likely to get behind it with their money and time.

2. Climate cancer

As a human race we fight diseases that would eradicate us, and reports show that cancer ranks towards the top in the funding it gains.

When people are diagnosed with cancer, they don’t do nothing—they ask doctors what the next actionable steps are and they undergo treatment plans. They fight the cancer.

The Earth is sick, and it’s not a stretch to suggest that humanity is the cancer. Portraying the climate as cancerous signals the potential to cure and heal it through changes to our actions.

3. Climate crime

A recent interview by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour gained this forceful quote-headline: “‘Climate change is not a tragedy, it's a crime’: The team taking on Big Oil”.

Attorney Melissa Sims and Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity are part of a team bringing the oil and gas industry up on racketeering charges, for the ‘corrupt enterprise’ of knowing their products cause climate change and lying about it to the public.

Both the headline and the interview are heartening, like the story of Erin Brockovich, which captured everyone’s hearts in its hugely-popular Hollywood film portrayal.

People love true crime—they love to see corruption exposed and criminals busted. Spreading news of ‘climate crime’ will naturally increase the public appetite for what the world needs: climate justice.