Our planet faces its greatest challenge for millennia: us.
There is now almost unanimous agreement that humans are having enormous impacts on the natural balance of our planet, with consequences that threaten our own existence and the survival of natural ecosystems alike.
The need for drastic change in our behaviour is clear. And yet, the response from political leaders and people in general is weak.
Why?
Human actions are driven by many factors, but having a clear understanding of cause and effect is a dominant one. Arguably, this is where communication of scientific evidence has failed to inform opinion sufficiently to drive the actions that are necessary to mitigate the worst impacts on our planet’s future climate.
This session aims to highlight the challenges that exist in communicating climate science and demonstrate ways in which scientific research and evidence can be communicated in a way that is meaningful and persuasive to the public and policy-makers alike. This session will demonstrate the most effective ways to communicate issues relating to climate change which may seem abstract, distant or complex, in a way that makes them relatable. To bring to everybody – not just a learned or engaged minority – the clearest possible picture of cause and effect, Humans vs ecosystems. Crisis vs salvation.
This session will be of interest to all EGU participants who are interested in learning about how they can more effectively share their research with the public and policy-makers to encourage action on climate change. It will also be useful for EGU members who would like to better communicate with those at the General Assembly outside of their area of expertise.