Abstract

Can new words help combat climate change? A recent study by Zella et al. (2025) suggests that the strategic creation of new words—neologisms—may play a surprisingly powerful role in accelerating climate action. Drawing on insights from cognitive linguistics, ecolinguistics, and environmental psychology, the authors argue that terms such as flight shame and greenwashing are far more than passing linguistic trends. These expressions influence how individuals perceive, feel about, and respond to environmental challenges, potentially driving collective shifts toward more sustainable behaviors and triggering social tipping points that lead to systemic transformation.