Understories | Translating doom into agency

The problem in numbers_

The problem
in numbers_

Most climate messages don’t land.
The gap between one that does and one that doesn’t is measurable.

• 40% of people actively avoid climate news because it makes them feel powerless, not motivated.

• 12:1 protecting future generations outperforms economic and jobs messaging as a driver for climate action.

• + 11 pts the lift in public support a single framing can produce.

What is understories?

What is
understories?

Climate is not only a policy problem.
It is a story problem.

Every day, well-researched campaigns fail because the message missed the mark. Not the science. The sentence.

The art of climate communication is largely inaccessible to the people who need it most — grassroots organisers, underfunded NGOs, advocates working without a communications team. Understories changes that.

It gives you research-backed feedback on your climate communications — evaluating your message peer-reviewed studies, scoring it across eight evidence-based criteria, suggesting revisions, and flagging ethical risks.

Understories translates doom into agency.
With citations, not guesswork.

Climate is not only a policy problem.
It is a story problem.

Every day, well-researched campaigns fail because the message missed the mark. Not the science. The sentence.

The art of climate communication is largely inaccessible to the people who need it most — grassroots organisers, underfunded NGOs, advocates working without a communications team. Understories changes that.

It gives you research-backed feedback on your climate communications — evaluating your message peer-reviewed studies, scoring it across eight evidence-based criteria, suggesting revisions, and flagging ethical risks.

Understories translates doom into agency.
With citations, not guesswork.

Test your message

How it works_

Paste a draft.

Get a research-backed critique.

Every score is traceable to specific studies from The Library.
The evaluation framework applies peer-reviewed social science and non-profit research — as communications standard, not ideological judgment — to assess whether a message will move people.

The Library_

Understories is built on a multi-layered governance system: the research library ensures that every message evaluation is grounded in research.

The Library is organised in five categories:

Communications: What works and what doesn't when communicating climate change to the public
Mobilisation: What moves people from concern to collective action: online, in communities, and in movements
Narrative: How stories, frames, and metaphors shape what people believe is possible on climate
Psychology: How people think, feel, and decide about climate change, and what that means for communicators
Public Opinion: The landscape of global climate opinion: who believes what, who acts, and who hasn't been reached

Access The Library

The eight criteria_

Every criterion is derived from peer-reviewed research — integrating findings across climate communications, behavioural science, and public narrative.
Disciplines that rarely speak to each other. Until now.

Each criterion asks a different question about whether your message will move people — or miss them entirely.

The ambition is simple: raise the standard for how climate is communicated.
Not more alarming. Not more polarising. More true, more human, more worth passing on.

Every criterion is derived from peer-reviewed research — integrating findings across climate communications, behavioural science, and public narrative. Disciplines that rarely speak to each other. Until now.

Each criterion asks a different question about whether your message will move people — or miss them entirely.

* Accessibility
* Actionability
* Clarity
* Credibility
* Emotional Resonance
* Hope Doom Balance
* Personal Relevance
* Solution Focus

The ambition is simple: raise the standard for how climate is communicated.
Not more alarming. Not more polarising. More true, more human, more worth passing on.

The ethical framework_

Understories is built on six human-centered principles adapted from AI ethics and applied specifically to climate communications.

Test your message

The problem in numbers_

The problem in numbers_

The problem
in numbers_

Most climate messages don’t land.
The gap between one that does and one that doesn’t is measurable.

• 40% of people actively avoid climate news because it makes them feel powerless, not motivated.

• 12:1 protecting future generations outperforms economic and jobs messaging as a driver for climate action.

• + 11 pts the lift in public support a single framing can produce.

What is understories?

What is understories?

What is
understories?

Climate is not only a policy problem.
It is a story problem.

Every day, well-researched campaigns fail because the message missed the mark. Not the science. The sentence.

Understories translates doom into agency.
With citations, not guesswork.

Climate is not only a policy problem.
It is a story problem.

Every day, well-researched campaigns fail because the message missed the mark. Not the science. The sentence.

Understories translates doom into agency.
With citations, not guesswork.

How it works_

How it works_

How it works_

Paste a draft.

Get a research-backed critique.

Every score is traceable to specific studies from The Library.
The evaluation framework applies peer-reviewed social science and non-profit research — as communications standard, not ideological judgment — to assess whether a message will move people.

The Library_

The Library_

The Library_

Understories is built on a multi-layered governance system: the research library ensures that every message evaluation is grounded in research.

The Library is organised in five categories:

Communications: What works and what doesn't when communicating climate change to the public

Mobilisation: What moves people from concern to collective action: online, in communities, and in movements

Narrative: How stories, frames, and metaphors shape what people believe is possible on climate

Psychology: How people think, feel, and decide about climate change, and what that means for communicators

Public Opinion: The landscape of global climate opinion: who believes what, who acts, and who hasn't been reached

The eight criteria_

The eight criteria_

The eight criteria_

The ethical framework_

The ethical framework_

The ethical framework_

Understories is built on six human-centered principles adapted from AI ethics and applied specifically to climate communications.

The problem in numbers_

The problem in numbers_

The problem in numbers_

Most climate messages don’t land. The gap between one that does and one that doesn’t is measurable.• 40% of people actively avoid climate news because it makes them feel powerless, not motivated.

• 12:1 protecting future generations outperforms economic and jobs messaging as a driver for climate action.• + 11 pts the lift in public support a single framing can produce.

What is understories?

What is understories?

What is understories?

Climate is not only a policy problem. It is a story problem.

Every day, well-researched campaigns fail because the message missed the mark. Not the science. The sentence.

Understories translates doom into agency. With citations, not guesswork.

Climate is not only a policy problem. It is a story problem.

Every day, well-researched campaigns fail because the message missed the mark. Not the science. The sentence.

Understories translates doom into agency. With citations, not guesswork.

How it works_

How it works_

How it works_

Paste a draft.

Get a research-backed critique.

Every score is traceable to specific studies from The Library. The evaluation framework applies peer-reviewed social science and non-profit research — as communications standard, not ideological judgment — to assess whether a message will move people.

The Library_

The Library_

The Library_

Understories is built on a multi-layered governance system: the research library ensures that every message evaluation is grounded in research.

The Library is organised in five categories:

Communications: What works and what doesn't when communicating climate change to the public

Mobilisation: What moves people from concern to collective action: online, in communities, and in movements

Narrative: How stories, frames, and metaphors shape what people believe is possible on climate

Psychology: How people think, feel, and decide about climate change, and what that means for communicators

Public Opinion: The landscape of global climate opinion: who believes what, who acts, and who hasn't been reached

The eight criteria_

The eight criteria_

The eight criteria_

The ethical framework_

The ethical framework_

The ethical framework_

Understories is built on six human-centered principles adapted from AI ethics and applied specifically to climate communications.

The problem
in numbers_

Most climate messages don’t land.
The gap between one that does and one that doesn’t is measurable.

• 40% of people actively avoid climate news because it makes them feel powerless, not motivated.

• 12:1 protecting future generations outperforms economic and jobs messaging as a driver for climate action.

• + 11 pts the lift in public support a single framing can produce.

What is
understories?

Climate is not only a policy problem.
It is a story problem.

Understories translates doom into agency.
With citations, not guesswork.

Climate is not only a policy problem.
It is a story problem.

Understories translates doom into agency.
With citations, not guesswork.

Every score is traceable to specific studies from The Library.
The evaluation framework applies peer-reviewed social science and non-profit research — as communications standard, not ideological judgment — to assess whether a message will move people.