Marketing should emphasize the economic and social benefits of climate initiatives, and not only focus on addressing the grim tale of rising global temperatures, a panel at Toronto Climate Week (TOCW) said. 

On the first day of the event held Monday in the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, speakers discussed whether climate action needs a rebrand amid signals of slipping interest in the topic.

Angus Reid polling found 18 per cent of Canadians said the environment was a top issue facing the country in December 2025, a steady decrease from 42 per cent in 2019.

The RBC Climate Action Institute’s 2025 survey had 14 per cent of respondents reporting climate change as one of their top three concerns, down from 26 per cent in 2019. The poll found Canadians were much more concerned about cost of living, health care and the economy.

Media coverage of climate change has been dropping since 2022. There is criticism the rhetoric around the climate too easily slips into an apocalyptic tone and global warming is mainly a concern for university-educated, financially comfortable liberals.

On the panel, ​Sarah Roberton, the senior vice-president of corporate and public affairs for Environics Research, said the climate sector needs to figure out how to maintain “positive, forward-moving momentum” with its marketing.

Show climate action makes things fun, cheaper

When asked if climate action needs a rebrand by panel moderator Jocelyn Butler, the CEO of Orchestra Marketing, Roberton replied, “yes and no.”

Most Canadians, she said, continue to view climate change as a human-caused problem. However, Canadians are turning their heads away from the climate to more relevant attention-grabbers such as artificial intelligence, the cost of living and U.S. politics, Roberton noted.

Additionally, the climate debate is morphing into a question about the economics and speed of the transition away from fossil fuels, not the science behind why the planet is warming.

To compete for attention, Roberton prescribed marketing that emphasizes how climate action is cool, fun, exciting and “almost inevitable,” while making things healthier and cheaper.

Following up on Roberton's comments, ​Matt DiPaola, the senior vice-president of marketing and innovation at Toronto-based BIMM, said fear has lost its potency as a motivating factor for climate action.

“We need people to take action and we need to connect emotionally,” he said.

Companies should be specific about their carbon footprint, environmental targets and how people can contribute, DiPaola explained. To resonate emotionally, marketing should put forward a universally appealing message of making a better life for coming generations.

“The planet can survive without us. This isn’t about climate, this is about creating an environment that humans can survive,” he said.

Companies should be able to describe how their products and services not only decarbonize, but drive affordability and are more fun to use, Jason Agar, the founder of Toronto-based Pomelo Studio Inc., said. Not everyone is concerned about carbon emissions, but most will pay attention if it saves money, lasts longer and generates a return, he continued.

“What are your merits? What is that thing that you’re selling or producing or doing that will change the lives of people buying into it?” Agar asked.

Empathize with undecided markets, make communications "sexy"

To expand one’s boundaries and markets, Roberton recommended the audience reach out to people “with different value sets” and hold “really challenging conversations” about the climate.

An example she gave was people who see global warming as a problem, but are not sure how to make a meaningful impact.

It is crucial to understand their motivations and fears, Roberton said, and to know where there is alignment and divergence on values. Having this allows for crafting a positive story that connects with such a demographic.

Companies, Agar said, should “focus on the one thing that you are communicating” and make their communication “more sexy.” This allows a climate-centric business to showcase how it is unique and how it supports that core competency.

For the Canadian companies in the audience, DiPaola urged: “Stop being so damn Canadian. Be bold, stop being apologetic. Let’s just do stuff and get out there into the world.”