“If it isn’t communicated, it doesn’t exist.” This simple line describes well what happens with a lot of the climate work done by governments, international organisations and experts worldwide. Many of these efforts are little known, or poorly understood by the public and sometimes even by the people involved in those processes. To help that work be seen, understood and acted on, Kairos Climate Impulse and 10 Billion Solutions are teaming up on climate projects.
Kairos Climate Impulse is a consultancy that supports and trains countries and international organisations on cooperation and compliance under the Paris Agreement. 10 Billion Solutions is a communications agency specialised in climate and sustainability.
“Without communication, climate transparency is just information. Once it is understood, it can be turned into trust and action. At Kairos, we work to turn climate commitments into lasting decisions and results, and this partnership strengthens that goal,” says José Ramírez García, Director of Kairos Climate Impulse.
“I’ve seen first-hand for years how the most rigorous technical work can end up in a drawer if nobody translates it for the people who have to act. At 10 Billion Solutions, we draw on our background in journalism and institutional communication to turn technical processes into concrete, tangible impact,” says Mariana Castaño Cano, founder of 10 Billion Solutions.
Building skills to increase impact
Kairos and 10 Billion Solutions will work closely together to strengthen the communications around climate mitigation, adaptation, transparency and finance, among other areas. The aim is for these processes, both national and international, to be known, understood and more effective.
Better communication is essential to planning, implementing and being accountable for any climate process. That means better communication among sector professionals, officials, agencies and ministries, and between the people who produce technical data and the people who must act on it.
The partnership brings together two critical sets of skills: technical knowledge of climate processes, and the ability to communicate them clearly, strategically and persuasively. Kairos and 10 Billion Solutions will offer end-to-end support, so countries and organisations don’t just produce better plans and reports but also make sure those plans and reports are understood, used and owned by the people who have to turn them into action.
Climate transparency: a pillar of action
Climate planning and transparency show better than anything why communication and engagement matter. Two areas make this especially clear: preparing national climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and transparently reporting on the action actually taken. In both, the people and organisations involved need stronger skills in active participation and communication.
Under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), countries submit a Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) every two years. It covers their greenhouse gas inventory and their progress on their NDC. The first cycle was due on 31 December 2024. The second is due on 31 December 2026, and about two-thirds of Parties have already submitted their first report. Each BTR feeds into the Global Stocktake, which reviews collective progress toward the Paris Agreement goals every five years and sets the ambition for the next generation of NDCs. Throughout this process, participation and communication among everyone involved are what make it effective and give it the greatest possible impact.
Communicating all year round, not just at the big moments
This isn’t unique to transparency. The same goes for a mitigation plan, a climate finance strategy or a capacity-building process. The goal isn’t to tick a box marked “done” or “submitted”. It is to strengthen processes so countries and organisations can improve their access to stable funding and sustain real transformation in energy, land use or waste management.
That strengthening only works if the people involved communicate well with each other and understand why it matters to them. This is where many technically sound processes lose momentum. The data isn’t wrong. Nobody translated it or communicated it in a way that leads to analysis and action.
This translation work means explaining, involving and listening to every stakeholder, from climate change agencies and offices to the different ministries. Ambitious, effective climate communication shouldn’t be driven only by the UNFCCC calendar of conferences such as the COPs. The spotlight does fall on the big challenges and opportunities at those moments. But the what, how and why of a process has to be made clear all year, in every workshop, every follow-up meeting and every report.
With this ambition to build skills and multiply the impact of climate action, the collaboration begins. Kairos is adding communication advice and support for its team, and 10 Billion Solutions is extending its work to new projects and organisations on the ground.
Get in touch to learn more: José Ramírez García, jose.ramirez@kairosclimate.com; Mariana Castaño Cano, mariana@10billionsolutions.com
