The new factsheet on climate communication from klimaaktiv in plain language offers quality criteria for assessment and practical guidance for writing plain language texts.

A third of the population has difficulty reading and understanding longer texts. This also has consequences for climate protection. Because if you don't understand what climate protection is about and how the connections within the climate crisis work, you also won't know what needs to be done for a liveable future. People with limited language skills are just as affected by climate change as the rest of the population — if not more so: studies show that some people with limited reading and language skills also tend to have lower incomes, or experience reading difficulties due to health problems. At the same time, having less money and health limitations makes it all the harder to protect oneself from the consequences of the climate crisis. When climate communicators present information in plain language, they can reduce reading barriers and give people access to the information they need to deal with the climate crisis.

Choosing the right topics

Climate communication works best when it connects to people's personal areas of life and shows them what options for action they have. An easily understandable information offering that takes into account the lived realities of people with limited language and reading skills should above all answer the following questions:

• What is climate change and how does it affect me?
• How do I recognise credible information?
• How can I combine climate protection with financial savings and making everyday life easier?
• How can I protect myself from extreme weather events such as heat?
• And for measures that cost money: is there funding available, and how do I access it?

Quality criteria for plain language

Whether a text is easy to understand is difficult to judge, even for experienced writers. Because it's not just about simple phrasing — it's also about keeping the barriers as low as possible. There are no strict rules for this, but there are criteria developed by plain language experts that one should follow. Our new factsheet on climate communication in plain language lists the criteria for plain language, offers guidance on assessing texts, and helps you quickly get started writing a plain language text.

Those who want to be on the safe side can commission an agency specialising in plain language, or at least have texts reviewed by one. These agencies work with a multi-person team that includes, among others, people with learning disabilities or a migrant background.

Getting information to the right people

The target group of people who need information in plain language is diverse and wide-ranging. There's therefore no one-size-fits-all recipe for which channels should be used to get information about the climate crisis out to the public. Generally speaking, though: those who struggle with reading often also find it harder to distinguish credible from non-credible sources. The abundance of online content adds to the overwhelm. Personal contact is therefore particularly important here. Personal communication offers the best chance of actually reaching your audience.