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| Eric Fischgrund |
If you didn’t like that headline you’re not alone, it hurt to write it. But it’s the truth.
In January 2021 I wrote a piece for O’Dwyer’s entitled Preparing for the Boom in Cleantech PR and Sustainability PR. And boom it did! Whether one supported it or not, capital flowed freely, peaking with the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and slowing to a trickle in the months following President Trump and his DOE taking office in early 2024.
Now? The billionaires championing environmental stewardship in the 2000s and 2010s have switched sides, so to speak, instead now supporting as much AI and related infrastructure as your LinkedIn feed can endure, regardless of whose energy bill it increases. *Hint: it will increase yours.*
And much of the corporate world has fallen in line. Companies found the words “climate,” “sustainability,” and “ESG” on their website and replaced them with “resiliency,” “independence,” and “domestic.” Data centers have become the subject du jour every du jour; what was once called ‘cleantech’ is now called ‘energy tech’; and the few of us left still uttering ‘climate’ under our breath are deemed out of touch or worse.
So what can us climate PR truthers do to further the movement?
- Write and communicate with a purpose. This should be a general rule for 99% of PR professionals in general, but it bears repeating. There are only so many truly groundbreaking, paradigm shifting, and first-of-its-kind technologies. Please don’t assign those descriptives until a technology is adopted or revenue occurs. They’re not a fit for a press release, much less a journalist.
More specific to climate and energy, but I see many press releases from early stage companies that promise to “unlock the grid,” “decarbonize the world,” or “realize billions in savings.”
I get it. Companies have investors and future capital raises to think about. But keep in mind that for every 100 companies that launch, only a handful make it beyond a few years, and we’re hurting public perception when we make grandiose claims with little evidence to back it up. Solar, wind, EV and storage companies made this mistake repeatedly over the past decade, and the sector paid for it dearly in the 2024 elections when voters had enough of the talk and federal support.
- Lead with results and human stories. Too often companies put forward their CEO or executive leadership to speak about their technology versus the people that use it. For example, while an EV charging infrastructure expert is informative, a middle class parent driving electric and saving $500 a month shuttling their kids to and from commitments, is far more effective a storyteller. This applies to most forms of energy and climate tech! One of my favorite client media campaigns from the last couple of years was one where a farmer, wearing a bright red MAGA hat, went on camera to share how much revenue a solar development on their land was producing vs. using it solely for agriculture.
And data. Please, please bring the data, especially when produced in a real world, commercial environment. Journalists and general audiences alike are looking for more than promissory language. Back up that talk with hard data.
- Work well with others. Heatmap News recently published a sharp piece entitled How to Unlock Republican Support for Climate Action. Within, they cite how GOP pols know climate change is real, and infer that the onus is on us, the communicators, to “build the institutions that make climate engagement a priority.” This means engaging right-leaning think tanks; supporting pols at a local level; developing congressional staff expertise; and most important - giving Republican members a credible partner they can trust.
- Remember that this too will pass. Yes, the current administration dislikes most renewables and asserts that man made climate changes isn’t real or important. And yes, much of corporate America has followed suit in their action, even if they and the general public believe otherwise.
Now is the time to remember that the sentiments of today usually change by tomorrow, and this will be no different. The world is experiencing a clean energy transition, not because the energy is clean per se, but because it’s cheaper, more abundant and less volatile (see: Iran War and gas prices). EVs will become the standard, not because of CE emissions, but because they’re cheaper, more comfortable to drive and require less maintenance. The market points the way, and soon enough the wind (get it?) will be at our backs again.
When that time comes, many of the brands who preserved through the rhetoric and spoke their truths will be standing, along with the PR professionals who represent them.
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Eric Fischgrund is the founder and CEO of FischTank PR, media relations and communications firm with a prominent energy and climate tech PR practice.
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