Climate Researchers Ask 90 Queenslanders Which Messengers Could Sell Climate Action Better Than Environmentalists - Watts Up With That?

A recent paper in Climatic Change, “Social and psychological factors shaping public views of unconventional climate advocates”...opens with something close to a confession. - Charles RotterClimate communication faces a messenger challenge: 

while the urgency of climate crisis demands broad-based public engagement, conventional advocates who are left-leaning environmentalists often struggle to reach diverse audiences due to identity-based barriers and negative stereotypes.
The introduction spells out the stereotypes, with citations:

Some people hold negative stereotypes about climate activists, associating them with traits such as

• militancy, 
• eccentricity, 
• disruption, 
• radicality, 
• being a tree-hugger, or 
• hippie characteristics...