What the evidence shows

The guide opens with a theory of change rooted in the power of discourse: narratives shape what is politically imaginable before policies become possible. It draws a careful conceptual distinction between narratives (systems of stories that operate at gut level without needing explanation), stories (concrete, closed accounts with protagonists and outcomes), frames (the interpretive structures that activate values in the listener's mind), and metaphors (which make the abstract tangible). The introduction references Lakoff's framing theory, Tversky & Kahneman's research on how framing shapes choices, and Benford & Snow's three-frame model for social movements (diagnostic, prognostic, motivational) as the theoretical scaffolding.

The core of the guide is five narrative frameworks — Plane Greedy, Common Destination, Green Means Grounded, Safe Landing, and Enjoy the Journey — each paired with a description of the old industry narrative it is designed to counter, a set of concrete messages, and guidance on which audiences and campaign contexts it suits best. Chapter Four translates these into practical communication tools, including audience segmentation by Moral Foundations Theory values, messenger selection guidance, and campaign scenario examples linking multiple narratives to specific local struggles.

Key Findings

• The aviation industry has successfully framed itself on its own terms, and campaigners must escape those terms entirely rather than argue within them. When advocates accept industry framing — debating emissions percentages, defending carbon offsets, or engaging with SAF technology claims — they fight on rigged terrain.

• Narrative selection should be audience-specific and Moral Foundations-calibrated. The guide maps each narrative to specific Moral Foundations Theory values — Plane Greedy and Green Means Grounded speak to fairness/cheating and authority/subversion values; Common Destination to care/harm; Safe Landing to loyalty/betrayal and authority; Enjoy the Journey to purity/sanctity and care. No single narrative works for all audiences and contexts.

• Metaphors and stories must do the heavy lifting that statistics cannot. The guide's metaphors — "guiding aviation towards a safe landing" and "laying the tracks for a fair planet" — were deliberately chosen to make structural industrial change feel both imaginable and actively shapeable rather than inevitable or catastrophic. Metaphors activate different cognitive frames than data; the guide argues for treating them as primary communication tools, not decorations.

Stand-out data points

• €17 billion per year could be raised within the EU from a kerosene tax — and €30 billion from introducing VAT on European aviation — figures the guide deploys to make the industry's tax-exempt status concrete and comparable to other public funding needs.

Examples of how Understories uses this research

• Emotional Resonance Each narrative is calibrated to a specific emotional register — indignation (Plane Greedy), solidarity (Common Destination), hope and aspiration (Enjoy the Journey), security and fairness (Safe Landing). Understories should assess whether a message's register is consistent with its chosen narrative and audience, rather than mixing emotional registers from incompatible narratives.

• Actionability The Benford & Snow three-frame model operationalised here (diagnostic + prognostic + motivational) is the guide's most practically useful contribution to Understories. A message that only diagnoses or only envisions alternatives is incomplete. All three frames must be present for a message to move audiences to action.

• Justice This guide's strongest dimension as it centres climate justice explicitly as a communication principle rather than an afterthought. Its inclusion of Global South perspectives and frontline community voices reflect a sustained equity commitment. 

— non exhaustive.

Key quote

"What tiles are to mosaics, stories are to narratives. Stories bring narratives to life by making them relatable and accessible, while narratives infuse stories with deeper meaning."

© 2022–2023 Stay Grounded, New Weather Institute — freely available for use, sharing, and adaptation by campaigners and civil society organisations.

Last update: 8 July 2026

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