A Hail Mary comms strategy

The government will shortly decide on its 2035 emissions target, with the Climate Change Authority currently consulting on the possibility of a 65-75% cut. We’re all waiting with bated breath.

Everyone wants a say. Businesses are split, with one group led by Future Group backing a 75% target, while the Business Council of Australia warned of negative consequences should the figure exceed 70%. 

More interesting is the climate movement itself. The Climate Council is giving itself wiggle room, saying the chosen number should be at the top end of the proposed range. But as anyone navigating their 30s knows, defining what counts as early, mid, and late is entirely subjective.

This is an interesting microcosm of the climate debate. After decades of provocative activism and ideological purity, campaigners are now faced with the possibility of compromise to achieve real results. 

If they needed inspiration on how to walk this line, they could do worse than consider the Catholic Church. No, really.

This week, Pope Leo made Carlo Acutis, a 15 year old who sadly died in 2006, the first millennial saint. Acutis built websites to document miracles before taking the significant jump to performing some of his own, including reportedly healing a boy with a rare congenital pancreatic disease.

As fascinating as the move from GeoCities to gastroenterology is, the real lesson is in how the church uses sainthood. The speed at which Acutis was canonised has been called out by many as a means of attracting more young people to the church. Research shows that the increase in the number of saints in a region is often in direct response to a growth in that region’s Protestant population. 

In short, the Catholic church has managed to combine ideological (or theological) purity with a deep understanding of both the competitive environment and changing audiences of the modern world.

Which, as a strategy for the climate movement, sounds better than a Hail Mary.