Usually, nothing. Take this sign here: It has some real facts about a real problem. And now that you know these facts, what are you going to do differently for the rest of the week? Answer honestly!

And that’s the same reaction you get from others when you let environmental facts speak for themselves. People can accept the truth of facts — and still not change a thing about their behavior.

To use facts skillfully, you need to tell people what they prove. For example, if I was going to make a sign about depression, I’d use those facts like this:

One in 8 adolescents suffer from depression, maybe even your child. So be a responsible parent and visit www.stopdepression.org to learn the symptoms to watch out for.

So here’s (part of) a factual-and-flawed ad from the Coral Reef Alliance. If you wanted to finish it, what could you write?

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