How the Biophilic Profile Tool Might Inform Climate Advocacy

Across the globe, our park systems, which serve as strongholds for intact ecosystems and as some of the last bastions of wilderness, are exhibiting the impacts of a changing climate. This is particularly significant because these emblematic sites serve as vital educational opportunities. While parks are uniquely positioned as prospects for promoting climate advocacy, it is important to recognize that our relationship with climate change and our connection to nature varies dramatically across different groups of people. Consequently, the effectiveness of climate-related educational efforts depends directly on strategic messaging that aligns with these distinctions. By using the Biophilia Hypothesis as a theoretical framework and employing the Biophilic Profile, an educational tool that explores our nuanced connection to nature, valuable patterns can emerge that offer insights into strategies to diversify climate messaging to better align with different people’s unique ways of knowing. This alignment can promote more effective, responsive, and meaningful climate campaigns and environmental education initiatives.