Unlocking messaging that works
If the Democrats could frame climate change as an issue where those who are weak on action to address it are 'taking away freedom', I think they would be taking a stronger stand...
You know what I noticed after the recent mid-terms elections? That the Democrats- a party that's often been anemic in their ability to articulate and proudly stand up for economic policies that help the middle class- succeeded in many races across the country & brought out a strong showing from the under 30 age group precisely because candidates like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were fearless about messaging on abortion & access to reproductive healthcare.
They correctly presented it as an issue of freedom and choice being taken away. I think freedom is one of the deepest gut-level issues that might resonate with a voter, and in the last few days it's been occurring to me that climate change is also an opportunity for Democrats or Independents to highlight exactly how unchecked climate change impinges on freedom. Do you like being outdoors in the summer? Do you like breathing air that isn't full of cinders on the West Coast, or living in a state on the East Coast where just a rain storm doesn't mean washed-out roads & delayed trains? Do you like being able to choose where to live? Do you want your children (or future generations of whatever species) to be able to breathe and live full lives?
I think liberals have to learn how to pull the core emotional language of freedom into their messaging around the ongoing existential issue that climate change is. Republicans and libertarians have made it central to their dna- with freedom from government and freedom from taxes as central messages. If the Democrats could frame climate change as an issue where those who are weak on action to address it are taking away freedom, I think they would be taking a stronger stand on an issue that many still avoid looking at- or try to push it off into the future when that really isn't a choice anymore.