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John Marshall, Founder and CEO, Potential Energy Coalition
Can you “sell” climate action like a product?
In this episode, John Marshall, the founder of Potential Energy Coalition, makes the case that the barrier to climate progress isn’t awareness, it’s relevance. Drawing on the deep data of digital advertising and longitudinal studies tracking millions of people, he explores why climate messaging underperforms - and what actually moves people to act.
John’s work starts with the audience’s life: their bills, their kids, their taxes. His research shows that “soft support” for climate action is already high - but fragile. He argues that the difference between apathy and urgency often comes down to one thing: whether communicators connect climate to everyday consequences.
This conversation is packed with practical tactics and a challenge:
- A surprisingly successful Super Bowl ad
- A powerful rule—“say the consequence within five words of climate change”
- If the cost of building public support is falling fast, what’s stopping us from scaling it?
It’s about treating climate communication as a system you can measure, test and win.
Recommended book: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
Follow John Marshall at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-marshall-1a61b516/
Additional notes:
Potential Energy Coalition - https://www.potentialenergycoalition.org/
Email Potential Energy Coalition your questions at - [email protected]
Five Simple Shifts for Climate Communication in 2026 - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/2026-climate-change-communicators-guide-five-key-shifts/
Potential Energy Coalition’s That’s Interesting Newsletter - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/newsletter/
By The Time Super Bowl Ad -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rnfywUFFSU
Swayable - https://www.swayable.com/
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/
We Mean Business Coalition - https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/
Outrage + Optimism Podcast - https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/
Released: 22 April 2026
Run time: 48m
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube
View all episodes
By Climate Acceptance StudiosCan you “sell” climate action like a product?
In this episode, John Marshall, the founder of Potential Energy Coalition, makes the case that the barrier to climate progress isn’t awareness, it’s relevance. Drawing on the deep data of digital advertising and longitudinal studies tracking millions of people, he explores why climate messaging underperforms - and what actually moves people to act.
John’s work starts with the audience’s life: their bills, their kids, their taxes. His research shows that “soft support” for climate action is already high - but fragile. He argues that the difference between apathy and urgency often comes down to one thing: whether communicators connect climate to everyday consequences.
This conversation is packed with practical tactics and a challenge:
- A surprisingly successful Super Bowl ad
- A powerful rule—“say the consequence within five words of climate change”
- If the cost of building public support is falling fast, what’s stopping us from scaling it?
It’s about treating climate communication as a system you can measure, test and win.
Recommended book: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
Follow John Marshall at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-marshall-1a61b516/
Additional notes:
Potential Energy Coalition - https://www.potentialenergycoalition.org/
Email Potential Energy Coalition your questions at - [email protected]
Five Simple Shifts for Climate Communication in 2026 - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/2026-climate-change-communicators-guide-five-key-shifts/
Potential Energy Coalition’s That’s Interesting Newsletter - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/newsletter/
By The Time Super Bowl Ad -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rnfywUFFSU
Swayable - https://www.swayable.com/
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/
We Mean Business Coalition - https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/
Outrage + Optimism Podcast - https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/
Released: 22 April 2026
Run time: 48m
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube