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Explore why some reject climate science and others feel hopeless. Learn how scientists can help people overcome biases for a shift in public opinion. Discover factors influencing concern over climate change in the US and ways to address misinformation.
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Depolarizing Climate Conversations twitter.com/aaronhuertas ahuertas@ucsusa.org Aaron Huertas Science Communications Officer Pcpro.co.uk
Why do some people reject climate science? • Why do some people who accept it feel hopeless? • How can scientists help people overcome these biases?
Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S., 2002–2010 Robert J. Brulle, Jason Carmichael, J. Craig Jenkins Climatic Change 03 Feb 2012
Los Angeles Times political cartoon 9/26/2012 Finding it really hard to source this one!
Huertas A., Kriegsman R. Science or Spin: Assessing the Accuracy of Cable News Coverage of Climate Science 2013 ucsusa.org/scienceorspin
Egalitarian Hierarchical Archives.gov Centurion Health Corporation Individualist Communitarian High Country Press Risk and Culture: An Essay on the Selection of Technological and Environmental Dangers, Mary Douglas and Aaron Wildavsky 1982 Risk and Culture: An Essay on the Selection of Technological and Environmental Dangers, Mary Douglas and Aaron Wildavsky 1982
Perceptions of Scientific Agreement on Climate Change Experts disagree or are divided Experts agree Kahan, Dan M., Jenkins-Smith, Hank and Braman, Donald, Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus (February 7, 2010). Journal of Risk Research, Vol. 14, pp. 147-74, 2011
Scientists need to stay true to the science AND They have to respect the fact that people have different values and political ideologies
“As scientists, we’re the map makers. As policymakers, you’re the navigators…” -- marine science and chemistry professor David Hastings (Eckerd College in Florida)
How is your talk being promoted? • “Climate change threats to our coasts” • OR • “Coastal hazards: erosion, storms, development and rising seas”
Sequencing – When to bring up climate? • Climate change is a hazard on our coasts • We’ve tracked 10 inches of sea-level rise historically • We have a best estimate of 1.3 feet of sea-level rise by 2050 • This is happening alongside coastal threats from erosion, development, storms
Sequencing – When to bring up climate? • We’re already dealing with coastal threats from erosion, development, storms • We’ve tracked 10 inches of sea-level rise historically • We best estimate of 1.3 feet of sea-level rise by 2050 • So climate change is an additional hazard on our coasts that we can prepare for
Military Voices “The impacts of climate change may increase the frequency, scale, and complexity of future missions…” – Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review “Climate change is a national security challenge…it will affect the type, scope, and location of future Navy missions.” – U.S. Navy Climate Change Roadmap
Businesses “We realize we need to prepare for a future when carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced.” – Duke Energy “There is growing recognition that addressing the risk of climate change will require significant efforts by both the developed and the developing world.” – Exxon-Mobil “Energy and climate represent two of the most important business challenges of this century….” – General Electric
Freedom and Taxes Gage Skidmore/Flickr Gage Skidmore/Flickr Green Tea Coalition (image from Green Tea’s facebook profile) Theleek.com
Pricing carbon can be seen through multiple political lenses
Emphasize Choices, Not Inevitability UCS: Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment, 2007
Point to Movement, Along with Adequacy Sanford et al. NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE | VOL 4 | MARCH 2014 ucsusa.org CarbonBrief.org
UCSUSA.ORG/ScienceNetwork twitter.com/aaronhuertas / ahuertas@ucsusa.org
