The Climate Voices Science Speakers Network: Connecting to Communities Through Non-partisan Conversations about Climate

English Abstract:

Scientific reports such as the National Climate Assessment (NCA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) influence politics and inform the public about current scientific findings. But how can the general public connect with scientists to decipher this climate science research? And how can climate science research be used as a catalyst to meaningful community dialogues about climate change? Over the past two years, our Climate Voices Science Speakers Network (climatevoices.org) has grown to a robust network of nearly 400 speakers across the United States. In this presentation, we will discuss the various ways we have approached community groups, ranging from working with grassroots groups to establishing and fostering regional partnerships. We will present our processes of engaging in conversations with faith-based, service organizations, and general interest education groups to better understand how to meet the diverse needs of audiences. We will also share samples of techniques employed by our speakers, as well as some of the resources and “climate science coaching sessions” we provide to our network.