Prior to Fall 2011

COMMUNICATING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
 
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