This piece by World Economic Forum posted by UN Biodiversity gets it right when it comes to climate communications. It starts with the important grim facts of biodiversity loss — human activity is destroying biodiversity faster than in the last 10 million years, over 1 million species face extinction, 80% of threatened species are impacted by our activity, and we’ve degraded 40% of the land. Then it pivots to 5 solutions that improve our lives, save nature, create 117 million jobs, and generate $3.015 trillion dollars by 2030:
1)Higher-density urban development to free up land for agriculture and nature — $665 billion; 3 million jobs
2)Architecture with nature, not just humans, at the core of the design to benefit us and other species — $935 billion; 38 million jobs
3)Utilities that effectively manage air, water, and solid waste pollution in cities — $670 billion; 42 million jobs
4)Nature-based solutions for infrastructure like wetlands, forests, and floodplains to manage the impacts of rain, wind, and storms — $160 billion; 4 million jobs
5)Incorporating nature such as wildlife corridors into infrastructure — $585 billion; 29 million jobs
Total: $3.105 trillion; 117 million jobs
Tell me another set of policies that produces that much revenue and that many jobs. There isn’t one. Line up the investors for this unicorn deal. Which politicians are turning down this set of policies with these societal benefits? Those who won’t be elected. This is the power of effective climate storytelling about solutions and their benefits. These are stories that change the world. Tell them. Make them.
As climate communicators, we can’t drop audiences off at the abyss and leave them there. We can’t just be storytellers; we must be storymakers and solutioneers if we want to be part of the web of humanity that weaves a healthier, more joyful, peaceful, and sustainable world into existence. This is a lot to ask of my inspiring and beloved climate communications colleagues who are already doing so much. But I’m asking us to do more because the world needs us now more than ever.
You wanted to be a writer, journalist, filmmaker, or video game creator. You hadn’t planned on becoming a product developer, systems designer, policy maker, and community organizer. That wasn’t the deal. I know. The deal changed. The world changed. We have to change.
There’s a Hopi proverb that says, “Those who tell the stories rule the world.” As the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, Steve Jobs said “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. They set the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation.”
This is the mantle we have to take up. We have to tell stories about solutions that clearly communicate their benefits. Then we lead our audiences into the trenches to collectively roll up our sleeves and get the work done using the empathy and compassion in our hands, hearts, minds, and spirits to build a better world for all beings.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
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