Daan Remarque: 'Pessimism is contagious, optimism is contagious'

How do you seduce people into sustainable behavior without wagging the finger? According to communications strategist Daan Remarque, urgency only works if people are given prospects for action. He will be one of the keynote speakers at the first edition of Transition 2025 on July 1. "The masses only choose sustainability when it works better, not just feels better."

"Because we live in a democracy, we should not bet on must, but on want. The louder you shout that it should, the fewer people want to listen," Remarque argues. He compares it to warnings on cigarette packs: 'You'll become impotent, you'll get cancer.' Yet people continue to smoke. "Simply because a pedantic finger is counterproductive. And in a democracy, people can also vote for those who don't have to. They did."

According to Remarque, you have to respond to people's beliefs and make the climate story fit into that. "Respect that people think differently and be empathetic. So Essent doesn't say, 'You have to save energy.' They say, 'Do you want to save on energy?' and 'Nice earning from solar.' That appeals to everyone. Whether you're green or not."

The energy transition is often presented as a necessary sacrifice, when in reality it is a technological revolution. "Electric cars are bought not because they are green, but because they are simply better. They pull up faster, are quieter and more modern. And the neighbor still drives yesterday's car, with an exhaust and a noisy engine full of moving parts that can break."

When change is presented as an improvement, people naturally go along with it, Remarque says. Cleaner air, safer living, a healthier world: these are benefits no one can be against. Moreover, transition delivers growth and new jobs. Percentage targets, such as a certain percentage less nitrogen or CO₂, on the other hand, are abstract and uninspiring. "No one gets excited about that."