The Loss of Climate Nexus is a Loss for Us All, or, You Can’t Solve Climate Change Without Communication

By Jessica Bergman

If you're a journalist or communicator working in climate and sustainability, you know by now that the climate communications firm Climate Nexus closed last week. We don't know exactly why, and the short-term tidal wave has yet to arrive, but we know this isn't good. This week, award winning marketing director and energy efficiency expert Jessica Bergman offers a passionate eulogy and rousing call to action for us all.

Like many in the environmental community, I was shocked to learn that Climate Nexus, the nonprofit climate communications firm, was closing its doors for good. Shocked, but not surprised.

Known for raising awareness about the impacts of climate change and presenting clean energy solutions, Climate Nexus served as a trusted source for industry professionals and consumers alike for over a decade. The surprise announcement, broken by Zack Colman at Politico, has left many wondering why this happened (rumor has it that major money pulled out) and where we go from here.

Not all of us are left scratching our heads, though. For career climate communicators, this is a tale as old as time.

When times are tough, communication roles and investments (already limited) are often the first to go.

This is due, in large part, to a fundamental misunderstanding of the role that marketing and communications play in market transformation and solving the climate crisis. Our industry prioritizes and celebrates innovation above all else, choosing to buy into the myth that the best or most efficient product or policy will always win out.

But environmental solutions — be they legislative, programmatic, or technological — are only effective when actually adopted by society. And they can only be adopted or enacted if people know they exist.

Marketing and communications (also known as MarCom) is a multi-channel approach used to inform and persuade people to take a desired action. Using storytelling and data-driven narrative, MarCom not only translates complex concepts but also answers a key question: “What’s in it for me?” It’s a critical component of market transformation because, hello, people aren’t driven by logic alone! We’re emotional and social creatures that require consistent and compelling messaging to take action.

Want proof? Look at the electric car, which has taken almost two centuries to reach the mainstream and still has a long road ahead (pun intended) to achieve full market transformation. Or the smart thermostat, one of the more "popular" energy-efficient technologies, which, according to a recent Parks Associates study, boasts a mere 16% adoption rate nationwide. Even the industry’s new darling, the heat pump water heater, has an adoption rate of just 2.6%.

Innovation may be sexy, but adoption is essential. And without reaching people and convincing them to change their behavior, it doesn't matter how energy-efficient or cost-saving your technology is. Selling environmental solutions isn’t like selling shoes. It’s an art (not a science) and requires a healthy balance of industry knowledge and MarCom expertise.

The team at Climate Nexus understood that. From their work on the Paris Agreement to the mobilization of youth for climate action and beyond, they combined technical subject matter expertise with thoughtful MarCom strategy to engage a wide variety of industry stakeholders, including policymakers, journalists, scientists, NGOs, business leaders, and more. They armed these folks with the most impactful messages, strategies, and tactics. This approach ensured they were touching all the components of market transformation and resulted in real and meaningful change.

Climate Nexus also evolved to understand that climate communications can be plagued by the same single-issue messaging, ego, and bias that has, in part, brought us here. In February 2024, they announced the creation of the Communicating Climate Justice Collaborative, an exciting group of 162 NGOs, impacted communities, and tribal and racial justice organizations.  Envisioned as “a space to foster interdisciplinary conversation about the movement’s work, spur potential collaborations, and build a community dedicated to climate justice communications,” this effort modeled what we need a lot more of: harder lines, stronger partnerships, and new ideas. 

There is no doubt that climate change is one of the biggest issues our world faces, demanding swift and significant action from us all. And in the fight against climate change, experienced climate communicators are a necessity. Policymakers, philanthropies, businesses, municipalities, utilities, and NGOs must all invest in MarCom to bridge the gap between awareness and action. Without this investment, the most innovative solutions will remain underutilized, and the climate crisis will continue to escalate unabated.

The closure of Climate Nexus should serve as a wake-up call: the impact of our best innovations and strategies will be limited if we continue to underfund and minimize the critical role communicators play in addressing this crisis.

The moral of this story is clear: without robust communication efforts, our most innovative climate solutions will remain underutilized and ineffective. Just as a book without an introduction struggles to find its readers, our efforts to combat climate change will falter without effective communication.

We must empower the storytellers who translate complex solutions into compelling narratives that drive real change. 

We must value and invest in the prefaces that make the entire story of climate action understandable and engaging. 

We must come together, demand recognition, and secure funding for this essential work at all costs. 

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Jessica Bergman is an award winning marketing director and thought leader with over 15 years experience in the energy efficiency industry. She is best known for her work in community based social marketing (CBSM), and her innovative approach has been recognized at ACEEE, BECC, DOE, EPA, ENERGY STAR, and by legislators in MA and CT. 

Jess currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications at a leading decarbonization nonprofit. As part of her current role, she supports Fortune 100 companies, utilities, manufacturers, and federal agencies in accelerating market transformation of the built environment.   Previous to that, she supported the Google Energy Partnership team as the MarCom subject matter expert and has worked with a wide variety of industry stakeholders to leverage CBSM to engage hard to reach audiences in meaningful energy savings.

Jess holds a Masters in Communication Studies and a certificate in nonprofit management from Johns Hopkins University. She got her Bachelors at Boston University and currently resides in CT with her husband and two children