Communicating about Climate Science: Research and Practice

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March 30, 2011

Communication about climate change is nearly as complex as the science. Among the most difficult communication challenges is persuading people to act on a problem that is not immediately relevant nor easily solved. This symposium included presentations of state-of-the-art research on how people understand climate change: Tony Leiserowitz (Yale), Rachel Shwom (Rutgers), Paul Stern (National Academy of Sciences), Bud Ward (Yale). Following the presentations there was a roundtable dialogue between panelists and Rutgers’ climate change leaders about the implications of the research for practice.

Presentations:

Public Understanding of Climate Science and Trust in Scientists
Anthony Leiserowitz, Ph.D., Director
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication

Facts & Values in Climate Change Public Opinion
Dr. Rachael Shwom, Assistant Professor, Climate & Society
Department. of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Improving the U.S. Public’s Understanding of Climate Change
Dr. Paul Stern, Director
Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change
National Research Council, USA

Communicating the Climate Science
Dr. Bud Ward, Editor
The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media

Sponsors: Rutgers University, Ecologies in the Balance; Rutgers Initiative on Climate and Social Policy; School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS); Department of Human Ecology, SEBS