As wildfires raged across multiple continents this summer, you’d expect to have heard constantly from politicians and the media about the unfolding climate crisis. To be fair, some outlets, governments and political figures are speaking up and taking action. But many are strangely quiet on a topic that’s affecting hundreds of millions of people across the world, and is set to get far worse without urgent and sustained action.

And it’s not just politicians and the media. While some businesses, charities, and community organisations are highlighting the crisis and taking public action, many others seem to be keeping their heads down, or just talking about the impact of heatwaves and floods without mentioning the most important driving factor behind them: global heating driven by fossil fuels, deforestation and agriculture.

Of course, we can’t ignore the vested interests that give certain politicians, businesses and media organisations an incentive to keep quiet about climate. But this doesn’t explain the full picture. There are other factors at play.

Opinion surveys over the last few years are showing us one important reason – and it’s something where arts and culture can make a real difference:

Nearly everyone on Earth still cares about the climate crisis, and wants society to take more action. But we also greatly underestimate how much everyone else cares too.

Multiple global surveys have shown that between 80 – 89% of the population want society to take more action on the climate crisis. But research also shows that we consistently underestimate that level of support.

Which means that a lot of us are thinking “I’m really worried about the state of the climate, but I know most other people don’t care, so there’s not much point in me speaking up or doing anything.”

Even in countries where the topic of climate seems the most polarised and controversial, there are still strong majorities for action. In the US, around 60 – 70% of people want more climate action. In the UK, it’s around 75 – 80%. Research by Indigo shows that this is strongly reflected in cultural audiences, with 89% believing that arts organisations should take more environmental action. 72% believe that arts organisations should influence society about the climate emergency, and 50% are even willing to chip in money to support environmental action in the arts.

It’s not just the public who underestimate this support. A recent survey found that UK MPs consistently underestimate how popular this topic is with voters. And herein lies the deeper problem.

If we think we’re alone in caring about the crisis, then it’s harder to motivate ourselves to speak up or take action. Why raise the issue at work if we’re worried about being shouted down? Why join a climate campaign or community project if we’re so few in number that it’s not worth trying? Instead, many people just push the climate crisis to the back of their minds and get on with the things in life where they think they do have some agency. Climate silence breeds more climate silence.

And this is where the cultural sector has a major role to play. Arts organisations are uniquely positioned to break the silence, and help everyone to realise that we’re not just the majority – we’re a strong majority, with the power to create real change.

Museums and art galleries are amongst the organisations most trusted by the public. Artists have the ability to reach the public and tell climate stories in endlessly creative and imaginative ways. Arts businesses have the opportunity to showcase real-world solutions to the climate crisis in their buildings, travel and transport. Together we can build a different narrative around the climate crisis – one where a huge range of people and organisations are working together on solutions, and providing the public with ideas and inspiration for how to get involved.

This isn’t just good for the climate, it’s a way for arts organisations and businesses to connect with large swathes of the public who are keen to hear any glimmers of hope on the nature and climate emergencies, and build deeper trust with those audiences.

Psychological research has shown that one of the most effective tools for encouraging more environmentally positive behaviour is by demonstrating that behaviour ourselves. We already have many brilliant examples of arts organisations stepping up and doing just that. But we need more, many more, to break through the climate silence and show the public – and each other – that we can still avoid the worst impacts of this crisis. Which, it turns out, is something that pretty much all of us want.