PA32A:
New Frontiers in Communicating on Climate Change: Connecting Science, Health, and Journalism on Local Impacts and Solutions I


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Session ID#: 57765

Session Description:
Evidence-based media coverage of climate impacts—especially those felt locally and personally—as well as explanatory coverage of potential low-carbon solutions are key if the public is to understand and support rational responses to climate change. Recent surveys of news professionals reveal both interest in increasing coverage of these topics and barriers to doing so.  Efforts to provide journalists with accessible climate data and connect them to knowledgeable, articulate scientists and health experts are expanding, as are programs that train experts to talk to journalists and vice versa.   Initiatives to expand engagement of other trusted voices are also expanding.   This session will highlight results of these surveys and describe new programs that aim to increase the quality and quantity of climate reporting and outreach at regional, local, and personal scales.  The session’s two panels (strengthening climate journalism, and activating trusted voices) will each be followed by Q&A.
Primary Convener:  Karen Florini, Climate Central, Princeton, NJ, United States
Conveners:  Rick Weiss, SciLine, Washington, DC, United States and Mona Sarfaty, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, Fairfax, United States
Primary Liaison:  Karen Florini, Climate Central, Princeton, NJ, United States
Chairs:  Karen Florini, Climate Central, Princeton, NJ, United States and Rick Weiss, SciLine, Washington, DC, United States
OSPA Liaison:  Karen Florini, Climate Central, Princeton, NJ, United States

Cross-Listed:
  • ED - Education
  • GC - Global Environmental Change
  • GH - GeoHealth
Index Terms:

0230 Impacts of climate change: human health [GEOHEALTH]
0815 Informal education [EDUCATION]
1699 General or miscellaneous [GLOBAL CHANGE]
6699 General or miscellaneous [PUBLIC ISSUES]

Abstracts Submitted to this Session:

From Discovery to Deadlines: How SciLine Works with Journalists to get More Evidence into the News (Invited) (435863)
Meredith Drosback, Becky Hazen, Karl Eisenhower, Joshua Colburn and Rick Weiss, SciLine, Washington, DC, United States
Global Warming, Local Stories (398847)
Bernadette Woods Placky, Climate Central, Princeton, NJ, United States
Climate Change and the News: A national model for improving and expanding news coverage of climate change science and impacts (455865)
Sunshine Menezes, PhD, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
Science Communication Is in Trouble; Discussing Climate Change and Its Human-Scale Impacts Is Fraught. How The New York Times and NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune Teamed Up to Create a Unique Series On Land Loss, Climate Change and the Defense of New Orleans. (399680)
John Schwartz, New York Times, New York, NY, United States
Resources and Tips for Compelling Science Communication with Journalists (459775)
Alexandra Shultz, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, United States
Communicating Climate Change in Obama's White House (443663)
John P Holdren, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science, Arctic Initiative, Cambridge, MA, United States
Building and communicating the evidence for linkages between health and climate (436944)
John M. Balbus, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
Physicians and Local Journalists Are Both Interested in Telling Climate and Health Stories: Organized Efforts to Support These Two Groups of Storytellers. (440707)
Edward Maibach, George Mason University Fairfax, Center for Climate Change Communication, Fairfax, VA, United States
Citizens Engaging Citizens: Using moderate and conservative associations to distribute non-partisan scientifically based education on climate change.National outreach to educate Garden Clubs, Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce with a PowerPoint written by citizens with scientific support from Climate Central and YPCC. (Invited) (375995)
Kathleen Biggins, Organization Not Listed, Washington, DC, United States
Best practices in communicating climate change and extreme weather connections (423749)
Jason Samenow, Washington Post, New York, NY, United States

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