Crafting an effective narrative on the green transition

The ambitious carbon-reduction targets set out by the Paris Agreement, or by recent Green Deals such as the one launched by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will require a high degree of engagement with the public. This is true not only as important changes in lifestyle are going to be needed from citizens, especially in developed economies, but also because top-down measures will need public approval to be put in place. This paper reviews literature from behavioural and environmental economics, cognitive sciences, (social) psychology, health policy, and marketing to condense key insights on how to make communication on the green transition more effective in terms of citizens' engagement. In doing so, it distils six policy recommendations that can serve as building blocks for an impactful narrative accompanying decarbonisation strategies, in Europe and beyond. If used skilfully, an effective communication and consequent behavioural change holds the promise of complementing top-down financial and regulatory tools, accelerating the green transition.