communicating climate change · looking to the future: challenges for scientists studying climate...

Communicating Climate Change Group 4

Marwa Jalal, Koji Tominaga, Giovanni Romagnoni, Mazyar Yazdani, Matti Ermold

Nasa.com

Outline

Introduction-Marwa

Communication path#1-Koji

Communication path#2 –Giovanni

Communication path#3 & conclusion -Mazyar

Looking to the future: challenges for scientists studying climate change and health A.Woodward,1 J.D. Scheraga2,3

Scientist address climate change by quantitative and qualitative observations and conclusions

Both scientists and policy-makers are interested in the magnitude of potential effects —which regions and populations will be affected? Why? When?

Public want to know if they are going to survive climate change!

Looking to the future: challenges for scientists studying climate change and health A.Woodward,1 J.D. Scheraga2,3

Scientist observation

What to tell the public?

Challenge #1

How to make the public believe and understand?

Challenge #2

Challenge #3

What to tell the Media?

Challenge #4

How tell policy makers?

“When people fail to behave in ways that are in their own or society’s best—the cause must be either a lack of relevant knowledge on their part and/or misguided attitude” (Norgaard &Baer 2005)

”To change people’s behavior, we must provide them with the knowledge they lack” (Nova 2011)

Scientists point of view;

Studies show that the public has difficulty understanding the probabilities scientists use to estimate the potential impact of climate change (Maibach 2008).

“Public understanding of science is mediated by interests, values, beliefs, and knowledge.”(Zher 2000)

Public point of view;

Communication, then, should emphasize what we know, rather than what we don’t know.

Issues:

“Studies of public understanding of science must be qualified by “which audience, looking for what information?” (Zehr 2000).

Outline

Introduction-Marwa




Public

Policy makers Science

Private sector

MEDIA

Example: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

http://www.hko.gov.hk/climate_change/faq/Q3_e.jpg


Scientists

IPCC Scientists

Literature


Scientists

IPCC Scientists

Literature

The issue here: nothing has been achieved on the global level

Kyoto Protocol not effective (enough) • Many countries

exceeded the target (e.g., Norway, Japan)

• Some withdrawal (e.g., Canada)

• Some developed not even part of it (e.g., USA)

• Developing countries not part of it


Scientists

IPCC Scientists

Literature

• Scientists did their part, however • Maybe the problem is the frame work

Success story: Montreal Protocol on CFC regulation

• 1973 ozone depletion mechanisms discovered (1995 Nobel Chemistry Prize)

• 1985 actual ozone layer depletion documented

• 1987 protocol signed

• 1989 in effect

• now almost all countries part of the protocol

• conclusion: contribution depends on good communication and circumstances (e.g., logistics, political will etc.)

Outline

Introduction-Marwa




Public


Private sector

MEDIA

Public


Private sector

MEDIA

Two communication pathways:

Indirect communication:

• Miscommunication: a true story?

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Res

po

nse

s (%

)

France Germany Japan UK USA (n = 120) (n = 187) (n = 165) (n = 183) (n = 241) Mostly positive Relatively balanced Mostly negative No impact at all

Perceived impact of media contacts on career by country.

Peters et al., 2008

Tools for indirect communications let’s use them!

Popular science magazines:

• PM (Germany)

• New Scientist (USA)

• Forskning och Framsteg (Sweden)

• Forskning.no (Norway)

direct communication

• we’re not good at that!

• People is interested in what affects them.

Is Climate change affecting them? Yes.

Do they know? …

Nursey-Bray et al., 2012.

A tool for direct communication

• Public consultations

• public cares about problems when it is involved and has a role (NOT after decisons are made)

Bubela et al., 2009

Another tool for direct communication:

• High visibility

• But controversial

Failure in communications and solutions

• We need «audience research», (examples, metaphores, frames.)

• ideology, interests, relevance to public «Cultural cognition theory»

• Make your science relevant to everyday’s life!

Kahan, 2011; Bubela et al., 2009

How are NCoEs doing?

Maybe there is scope for…

• Public consultations?

• Course in communication for young scientists: to public, other scientists, etc.

• Interaction with stakeholders

• Indirect communication (media)

• but no direct communication to the public!

Outline

Introduction-Marwa




Policy makers Scientists Public

• Other path: Policy makers – Scientists – public • Unwelcomed scientists to policy makers circle (unfamiliar & uncertain findings) • Practical steps such as workshop (2 days WSH for policy makers and ecologists, UK 2006) • Current scheme for fund application (strengthening public out-research) : to get closer, clarification, highlight important issues, more fund opportunities, etc.

• Influence of private sector on policy makers (e.g., lobbyist) • Example: car in India (1st lecture), industrial lobbies against C emission limit

Media

lobbies

Public


Private sector

MEDIA

Conclusion


Media • Direct communication • Indirect communication


Media • scientists unfamiliar & uncertain findings tp PMs • Practical steps required such as workshop • Influence of private sector


• Contribution depends on good communication & circumstances

Improvement in

Questions

Group 4: The role/importance of communication 1. Is climate science being communicated appropriately and sufficiently to the public and to

policy makers?

2. Are scientists sufficiently informed of the priorities for climate research?

3. What is the role of science and communication in climate change adaptation/policy?

4. How can communications be improved (among all sectors) and what are some practical steps for achieving this?

5. Outline the implementation of a more coherent communication plan which could be implemented by the NCoE or any other scientific body focused on climate change issues.

Thank you for your attention

Literature

Woodward A., Scheraga JD, CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN HEALTH, 2001, Looking to the future: challenges for scientists studying climate change and health

IRENE LORENZONI and NICK F. PIDGEON, Climatic Change (2006) 77: 73–95, PUBLIC VIEWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE: EUROPEAN AND USA PERSPECTIVES

Communication and Marketing As Climate Change–Intervention Assets A Public Health Perspective, Edward W. Maibach, Connie Roser-Renouf, Anthony Leiserowitz, (Am J Prev Med 2008;35(5):488–500) © 2008 American Journal of Preventive Medicine

International Energy Agency (IEA/OECD) 2011. CO2 emissions from fuel combustions: highlights. Available online. MGupta et al. 2007. Policies, instruments and co-operative arrangements. In Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment REport of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. . Lewis, Simon L. 2010. How to beat the media in the climate change streeet fight. Nature 468: 7

Peters, H. P., Brossard, D., Cheveigné, S. D., Dunwoody, S., Kallfass, M., Miller, S., and Tsuchida, S. 2008. Interactions with the Mass Media. Science 321, 2-3. Nursey-Bray, M. et al. 2012. Communicating climate change: Climate change risk perceptions and rock lobster fishers, Tasmania. Marine Policy 36, 3,753–759 Kahan, T. 2011. Journal of Risk Research 14, 147-74 Lewis, S.L. 2010. How to beat the media in the climate street fight. Nature 468, 7 Bubela, T et al. 2009. Science communication reconsidered. Nature Biotechnology 27, 514 - 518

Strydom WF et al (2006) “The identification of 100 ecological questions of high policy relevance in the UK”, Journal of Applied Ecology, 43 (4): 617-627

Strydom WF et al (2010) “Evidence-based policymaking: A review South African Journal of Science 106(5/6)

Zher SC, Public representations of scientific uncertainty about global climate change, Public Understand. Sci. 9 (2000) 85–103. Printed in the UK PII: S0963-6625(00)11933-2

Course lectures: BIO9905CEES1 - Effect Studies and Adaptation to Climate Change

Discussion

• Further points of reflections:

• incorporating the «what if i’m wrong» part into management advice

• Reccomandation for the future work:

• Understanding what other climate change scientists do and mean

• What can NCoE do? public consultation; course for students. In particular: how to make your work sexy; how to communicate between scientists

Tools that already exists

• Department of communication at OiU

• Responsible for public relation and press communication

• Contact person:[email protected]

• Course on scientific communication

• KJM4020 - Scientific communication

• http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/index.htm

Findings:

1) Need of direct connections between science and public

how? One way: public consultations

• Reaching the audience (making it interesting)

• Development of public education and involvement (consensus conference) focused on relationship-building and trust-building

2) Need to improve existing channels (media)

how? Learn to talk to media! (courses? PR office)

• Science communication supported by audience research exploring alternative storyline (metaphres, examples, frames) paperLorenzoni

• Educationg students to communication (courses in communicating science)

communicating climate change · looking to the future: challenges for scientists studying climate...

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