Communicating with the Public about Climate Change
This webinar will present research from an ongoing program conducted by George Mason University and Yale University analyzing Americans’ interpretations of and responses to climate change. The research segments the American public into six audiences along a spectrum of concern and issue engagement: from the Alarmed, who are convinced of the reality and danger of climate change, and who are highly supportive of personal and political actions to mitigate the threat, to the Dismissive, who are equally convinced that climate change is not occurring and that no response should be made. The Six Americas are not very different demographically, but are dramatically different in their beliefs and actions, as well as their basic values and political orientations. This webinar will provide information about:
- How segments of the American public think about the issue of climate change
- Principles for effective communication
- The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
Climate Change: Glaciers, People and Options
Glaciers are one of Nature’s best thermometers, and perhaps its most sensitive and unambiguous indicator of climate change. This webinar will discuss the “inconvenient truth” of global climate change through:
- an introduction to climate change,
- a brief look at how past climate changes have impacted Peruvian cultures,
- the latest evidence for the recent acceleration of the rate of glacier loss world-wide,
- evidence that some glaciers like the Quelccaya ice cap (the world’s largest tropical ice cap) in the Andes of Peru are now smaller than they have been in over 6,000 years.
This evidence will then be discussed in terms of our “inconvenient mind”. Here we will look at some of our basic belief systems, as identified by behavior analysts, that relate to how humans respond to climate change issues. In addition, I will discuss what I see as our options and the greatest challenges of the 21st Century.
Making Climate Change Data Relevant at a Local Level
Global climate models project that Earth’s temperature will warm by about 2°-4°C (about 3°-7°F) in the coming century. But what does that mean for communities, natural resource managers, and other local interests? And how can climate scientists ensure that climate data is useful to a wide range of individuals with different data needs?
In this webinar we will present a newly developed set of “downscaled” climate data that was developed in cooperation with the Upper Midwest / Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative. A novel aspect of this downscaled data is that the technique was developed after conversations with a wide variety of people who would be using the data. As a result, the dataset is flexible enough to address a number of research and assessment needs. The webinar will address the following questions:
- How can we develop climate data that is useful to a wide variety of communities who will be using that data?
- How might climate change be evident in phenomena that are relevant for impacts, such as extreme warmth, duration of heat waves, and precipitation intensity?
- How can we ensure that uncertainty in future projections of local and regional climate change is accounted for in climate assessment?
Future of International Climate Agreements
The future of international efforts to manage climate change faces great uncertainty. The greenhouse gas commitments established under the Kyoto Protocol are set to expire at the end of 2012, and governments are scrambling to negotiate a successor agreement. What is the future of international climate agreements? Can we expect a new set of binding commitments, or will the system of rules and institutions evolve in a softer, more decentralized direction? This webinar will provide information about:
- The history of the global system governing climate change
- Political obstacles to international negotiations on climate change
- Policy recommendations for designing a successful agreement to manage climate
Framing Climate Change: Recent Research Trends on Communication Strategies and Public Opinion
Climate change has become a hot-button issue in mainstream American politics, and people are divided over its causes, impacts, and solutions. This webinar will offer an overview of how the public views the issue of climate change, several explanations for these differences in perception, and possible approaches for bridging the gaps through innovative communication strategies. This webinar will provide information about:
- Public opinion trends about climate change and public policy
- Different explanations for divisions in public opinion about climate change
- What the latest communication research tells us about best climate change communication practices, and about developing a public consensus about this issue
