As a writer, I believe deeply in the power of stories to educate, inspire, and change minds. Whether documentaries, books, podcasts, or articles, the media we consume can be hugely influential.
Nowhere is this more important than in the climate space.
If we assume that the world has enough data about deforestation and species extinction, then what really remains is the way we tell the story of our remarkable planet.
How do we not just barrage people with statistics, but actually reach them?
Answering this question is not only my passion, but my job, so I’m always looking for inspiration. Nature is suffering first and foremost from the climate crisis. Why not go straight to the source?
AskNature AI: Where Technology Meets Nature
I should start by saying: I am not an AI super-user. I tread with caution and am discerning in my approach to it.
Generally, I prefer to rely on humanity––to write, to create, to come up with original ideas, to make mistakes and learn from them. I’m a romantic about human connection and our relationship with nature, but I also know that technology can, and does, aid in all of these things.
As our lives become increasingly electronic, the most successful technologies will be those that bring us closer to other people, or those that are inspired by, or based in, nature.
AskNature Chat: A New Kind Of AI
The prospect of an AI tool rooted in the learnings of nature piqued my interested. When I discovered that AN Chat spoke naturally and poetically (not unlike Biomimicry Institute founder Janine Benyus) I was excited to test it out.
Biomimicry usually looks at how nature can provide guidance on tangible issues like building materials, aerodynamics, heating, and cooling. But what about something like our beliefs and behaviour? I wanted AN Chat not only to teach me about nature, but to teach me about people. After all, we are nature too.
So, my question was, “How would nature communicate to humans about the climate and biodiversity crisis? What strategies would it employ to reach the largest number of people?”
Nature’s Climate Communication Strategy
After thinking for a few moments, AskNature Chat crafted an eloquent and detailed response titled Nature’s Multilingual Broadcast – How Life Communicates Change.
“If nature had a voice, it would not speak in one language. It would shimmer in coral bleaching, whisper in shifting winds, and pulse in bird migrations gone askew.”
Ecosystems, it went on to tell me, are like massive, living communication networks. Each organism participates in its own network where every scent and sound carries vital information about the world.
I learned that nature effectively communicates change in three ways: multisensory signalling (“Nature never relies on one medium”), feedback loops, and emotional resonance through story.
This last point I was dubious about – do animals really tell each other sentimental stories to communicate?
Apparently, yes. There are certain animal behaviours that are used not just for survival, but for identity, social cohesion, and collective memory. These are seen in the “name-calling” of elephants, the evolving songs of humpback whales, and the “dialect” of certain songbirds and primates.
Lessons For The Human Race
AN Chat then translated those principles into lessons we could apply as humans working on this challenge:
- Speak in Many “Languages”
- Like a rainforest broadcasting through scent, colour, and song, humanity must use multiple channels to communicate the climate and biodiversity crisis––not just data and policy, but art, sound, story, and tactile experience. People respond to what they can feel as much as what they can measure.
- Local Signals, Global Meaning
- Nature’s communications are always local, yet collectively they form a global signal. Our climate storytelling can mirror this, empowering local communities to share their lived evidence of change, creating a mosaic of shared understanding that no one voice could produce alone.
- Feedback and Listening
- Ecosystems thrive on feedback. Our communication strategies should do the same––inviting dialogue, not just broadcasting warnings. As in a forest, listening is half the message.
- Hope Through Connection
- In every natural alarm lies an invitation to adapt. Coral reefs, when given respite from heat, can recover; birds can find new breeding grounds if we preserve corridors. The same is true for us: to act effectively, we must first rejoin the conversation––not as conquerors, but as kin.
Following Nature’s Wisdom
In many ways, these are simple lessons. It is advice that we should already know––from nature to nature. But for some, these ideas have been lost to the speed and distractions of modern life. AN Chat prompted me to slow down and reconnect with the original fount of inspiration.
The line, “as in a forest, listening is half the message,” struck a chord deep within me. When I finish a piece of writing, I often feel as though my job is done, when really, it has only just begun. How will people receive the message, how will they respond, and what should I do next? Thinking about a piece of communication as a conversation, rather than a broadcast, completely changes my approach to it.
Nature has been honing its communication strategy for millennia. It’s time we listen.
Suzi Brown is a writer, environmentalist, and nature enthusiast. She holds a Master of Science from UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity and wrote her dissertation on the impact of urbanisation on insect biodiversity. Suzi is the Digital Content Manager at RE:TV, where she writes about sustainability innovations and amplifies the stories of people helping to reimagine a better future.
