EOS1.1

Climate literacy and awareness have greatly deepened over the past few years but how strongly they shape our values and therefore inform our decisions is still a weak link. Inaction today will result in an even heavier burden on today’s youth. How does it feel to be 15 years old in 2021?

As a team of researchers involved in a water-energy nexus project, we felt a compelling responsibility to work with young people to build their knowledge, awareness and skills to tackle climate change through water efficiency. We therefore decided to reach out to young people aged 15-17 to explore the climate action potential of saving water resources in a way that is meaningful and relevant to their circumstances. Looking beyond lecture-style activities but rather focusing on a dialogue that could support their efforts to tackle the climate crisis, we considered the following questions: How can we make our research agenda informative and relevant to young people? What kind of engagement activity can foster youth-centred learning, skills development and innovation processes to take climate action within the water-energy nexus?

A recent global trend of organising hackathons to find solutions to societal issues offered the perfect answer to our needs. In our submission we describe how the rationale behind the choice of a hackathon-style event was informed by pedagogy, social science and management theory. We illustrate the details of the 2-day Climate Action Hackathon we planned, organised and facilitated to a group of 15-17 years old students, members of Irish NGO ECO-UNESCO. Then, we present the outcomes of the hackathon and how we assessed the impacts. To conclude, we describe how the lessons learnt have been incorporated into three further future engagement projects at larger scale in Ireland, Wales and at European Union level.

How to cite: Bellini, R., Bello-Dambatta, A., Coughlan, P., Mc Nabola, A., Dreyer-Gibney, K., and Murali, M.: Dŵr Uisce Climate Action Hackathon – A cool connection, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-618, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-618, 2022.

If you are a geoscientist doing work to achieve impact outside academia or engaging different audiences with the geosciences, are you planning to make this publishable? If so, then plan. Such investigations into how people (academics, practitioners, other publics) respond to geoscience can use pragmatic, simple research methodologies accessible to the non-specialist, or be more complex. To employ a medical analogy, first aid is useful and the best option in some scenarios but calling a medic (i.e. a collaborator with experience of geoscience communication or relevant research methods) provides the contextual knowledge to identify a condition and opens up a diverse, more powerful range of treatment options. Here, we expand upon the brief advice in the first editorial of Geoscience Communication (Illingworth et al., 2018), illustrating what constitutes robust and publishable work in this context, elucidating its key elements. Our aim is to help geoscience communicators plan a route to publication, and to illustrate how good engagement work that is already being done might be developed into publishable research. 

Reference

How to cite: Illingworth, S., Hillier, J., Welsh, K., Stiller-Reeve, M., Priestley, R., Roop, H., and Lanza, T.: Geoscience communication - Planning to make it publishable, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-868, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-868, 2022.

Understanding and managing wetlands is a matter of great importance, given the fragile nature of its habitats, survival issues under perturbation, and the need for sustainable use of its resources when competing with human print. These are environments particularly sensitive to a number of physical factors and they’re particularly suited to engage with climate change (e.g. sea-level rise and rising temperature), conservation (e.g., biodiversity, land-use management), and ecosystem services (e.g., carbon storage and water purification). Wetlands deserved raising interest in the last two decades by the scientific community, such as the ecogeomorphologic nature of its dynamics, value and resilience to natural and human drivers, and timescales of change. This interest is reflected in the existence of four EGU Assembly 2022 proposed sessions (BG2.3, GM6.2, GM6.3, GM6.4) particularly devoted to wetlands, where both natural and social perspectives can fit. Given both the scientific and the societal relevance of wetlands, how does communication between both spheres is or should be made? What do the experts think about this? Are they aligned with the deficit model and/or the dialogue model of science communication? This is the underlaying rationale for this study.

We propose to enquire the dozens of coastal experts attending EGU 2022 conference about the science communication of wetlands. Questions about wetland communication include, for example (not comprehensively): 1) What are the key topics to communicate about wetland for audiences; with questions discriminating adult, children (8-12 y) and teenagers (13-17y)? 2) Choose the two most important wetlands threatening factors to communicate; And the two least important factors. 3) Is knowing about coastal evolution more relevant than knowing the names of the most emblematic vegetation species? 4) What is the most usual way that you use to communicate about wetlands to the public?

We will collect data on wetland communication via an online questionnaire, with mostly closed-ended questions to allow a quicker analysis. We propose that a group of EGU attendees fill in the online questionnaire two days before and the first two days of the conference. The completion of the questionnaire allows anonymity. Fresh results from the survey will be presented and used as a base ground starting point for a discussion with conference participants about their own opinions.

How to cite: Matias, A., Pinto, B., and Carrasco, A. R.: Communicating about wetlands to the audiences: what do the experts think?, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-1512, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-1512, 2022.

Flood hazard is projected to at least double by 2050 as a consequence of the impacts of climate change, meaning many more societies and communities will need to be able to mitigate and adapt to the resultant increase in flood risk.

One often overlooked aspect of flooding is the experiences of children and young people who also deal with disasters first-hand and who often have a very different viewpoint than adults.  In 2014 researchers (Lloyd Williams et al., 2017) worked with flood-affected children, using creative and participatory methodologies to explore their experiences and tell their story. The research gave the young people the opportunity to express their voice on this issue and take action, including the production of Children’s Flood Manifestos that called for changes in UK flood management. A key feature of these manifestos was the call for all children to receive flood education as part of the school curriculum.

The research reported herein takes up that call by seeking new and innovative ways to engage young people with flood education. As part of the work, the children’s flood stories have been brought to life through the use of immersive storytelling and 360 technologies. In the Help Callum and Help Sali immersive videos, generated via the project, the viewer gets to experience the children’s stories first-hand and develop an understanding of some of the issues that young people face during flood events. As part of the immersive journey the viewer is asked to think about what would have helped the children and how we could all be better prepared for flooding. To complement these films, we have co-created a suite of learning resources with teachers, young people and England’s Environment Agency, including links to the National Curriculum and the Sustainable Development Goals, exploring how the videos can be used to communicate and contribute to better understanding, and subsequent action, in response to flood risk among a new generation of young people.

The paper will show you how it is possible to not only communicate your science but also demonstrate how working with young people can help to build agency, self-esteem and be a means to taking meaningful action.

Lloyd Williams, A., Bingley, A., Walker, M., Mort, M. and Howells, V., 2017. “That’s Where I First Saw the Water”: Mobilizing Children’s Voices in UK Flood Risk Management. Transfers, 7(3), pp.76-93.

How to cite: Parsons, K. J., Lloyd Williams, A., Skinner, C., and Parsons, D. R.: Immersive storytelling and the power of using 360 to amplify the experiences, agency and action of children and young people facing flood risk, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-1529, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-1529, 2022.

Communication and scientific dissemination can be very important if we want people to focus on specific items. This is also why we should question the ways in which we communicate an idea or a particular issue.

Osservatorio Artico is the first Italian online magazine focused on the Arctic region. In issues related to external affairs, economics, migration and climate change Italy usually looks more towards continental Europe, at the Mediterranean area and the Middle East.. However,  the Arctic region, even if it is far from Italian shores, is emerging dramatically into the Italian awareness, due to the relevance of global environmental issues. The Arctis is also important because the Italian Navy and the scientific and academic Italian world are increasingly conducting scientific research in the Arctic about climate change, the environment and hydrography.

Osservatorio Artico also aims to be the  main news channel  for this issue for a wide public. What happens so far away has direct implications for our climateand our economy. Changes in the Northern Sea Route will, in the next few years, change the Mediterranean commercial sea routes, modifying the pivotal role of Italy in the Mediterranean,  In addition, Italian cultural heritage, such as the Venetian Laguna, is under great threat, from sea level rise.

The Arctic is closer to Italy than it appears, and Osservatorio Artico aims to be a helpful tool for Italian speaks. Our collaborators live and work in several countries,  including the Arctic. We want also to reach a wider and different public, so we are navigating between newspaper and academic publishing. Our use of social media channels is very relevant to our aim of  building up a strong international network for information about the Arctic in Italy.

How to cite: parigi, R.: Communicating Arctic issues to the Italian public through a magazine, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-1825, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-1825, 2022.

It may seem strange, but the next generation of geological maps could be produced not for geologists, but for the non-expert public! In Hungary, as in most countries, geological maps were created to help find economically important raw materials. However, updates of outdated maps are becoming increasingly rare. Nowadays, exploration geologists do not even usually produce edited maps, as experts obtain information directly from models. With the changing methods, geologists are struggling to find the proper readership for geological maps.

At the same time, a new trend is beginning to unfold, which means a whole new group of people interested in geology. Mining has left behind plenty of well-explored geological sites in many regions that attract the attention of non-experts, simply because they are beautiful and interesting! These geosites, together with the natural attractions of geomorphology, are being exploited by a new branch of tourism: geotourism. The presentation of the most spectacular geosites for tourism and the linking of geology with natural and cultural heritage has led to the emergence of geoparks, which operate under the auspices of UNESCO since 2001.

Geotourists are typically not scientists, and although maps are the most effective way to guide them to geosites, specialized maps are too complicated for them. By reducing the thematic details and increasing the tourism content we can create a geotourist map for them. The genre of geo-hiking map is the most appropriate form of geotourist maps if outdoor activity is involved. These are hiking maps with simplified geological themes to assist individuals and guided walks. The genre appeared in Hungary as early as 1939, but for a very long time, until 2002, no similar map was produced [1, 2]. Subsequently, geotour atlases and hiking maps were published, indicating the genre’s advance [3]. Since the establishment of Hungary's first geopark in 2010, geotour guides have been trained and the demand for map visualization is growing. In addition to guided walks, individual hikers interested in geosites are increasingly common, tracked by interactive query sheets at some of the most popular sites on the Balaton Uplands [4].

Geotourism creates a market for maps and outlines possible ways of using geological maps in the form of geotourism maps. Geotourism, rather than mining, could be the new sector that creates the need for geological mapping, and since geoparks are not only about protecting geological heritage but also about providing education and activating local businesses, this could be more in line with UNESCO SDGs.

[1] Albert, G., Hegedűs, Á. (2021): A geological hiking map curiosity from 1939, Abstr. Int. Cartogr. Assoc., 3, 2, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-abs-3-2-2021.

[2] Albert, G. (2004): Geoscientific results in “tangible” format: the geotourist map. Geodézia és kartográfia, 51(7), 27-30.

[3] Albert, G. (2019): The changing use-cases of medium and large-scale geological maps in Hungary, Proc. Int. Cartogr. Assoc., 2, 4, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-proc-2-4-2019.

[4] Pál, M., Albert, G. (2021): Examining the Spatial Variability of Geosite Assessment and Its Relevance in Geosite Management. Geoheritage 13, 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-020-00528-6

How to cite: Albert, G. and Pál, M.: Geological maps for geotourism in Hungary, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2018, 2022.

Just as there is a bias in the fossil record as to which organisms are preserved, there is a bias in who is represented in palaeontology’s history and whose perspective on the cultural significance of fossils is valued. This bias is echoed in the lack of diversity in the palaeontological community today, particularly in terms of racial or ethnic diversity.

A major contributory factor is that palaeontology’s history is entwined with and directly influenced by colonial histories, which have omitted the multifaceted ways in which a range of people and lands have contributed. This bias in the historical development of palaeontology, in particular its alignment to white, western, male privilege, has excluded and marginalised those outside this group in the historical record and today, and continues to impact the perception of fossils, palaeontology and palaeontologists by students, teachers and scientific and non-scientific publics.

We will present interdisciplinary work in progress on an arts-based approach to decolonising palaeontology. We are trialling a variety of practical, creative engagement activities via workshops that bridge art and science, in order to explore and integrate the scientific, cultural and historical significance of fossils.  

We are working with a range of audiences, with a particular focus on those currently under-represented in palaeontology. In doing so, we aim to shift perceptions of fossils and palaeontology and expand the accepted framework of cultural significance that fossils and palaeontology hold, thus contributing to a more inclusive and diverse palaeontological community in the future.

How to cite: Gill, F., Rees Koerner, E., and Andrew, S.: Bias in the Fossil Record: An arts-based approach to decolonising palaeontology, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-2923, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2923, 2022.

A general challenge of science communication, when addressing complex concepts within e.g. earth science, is to choose an audience and tailor the experience to draw in the specific members of that audience. This can lead to the exclusion of audiences that do not feel spoken to, regardless of their innate interest in the subject. Having been faced with that challenge, I have adopted an alternate approach, by creating visually appealing illustrations to draw the attention of various types of audiences. The members can then choose a path of information from there, ranging from non-interaction with the scientific concept, over elementary-level explanation, up to peer-reviewed scientific publications. This approach can be beneficial in achieving wide engagement and allowing connected groups, e.g. parents and children, to learn together, each at their own level of interest and understanding. 

How to cite: van der Laan, L.: Illustrating Climate Science: the Case for Visual Representations of Complex Concepts, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-4915, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-4915, 2022.

Water quality is a key consideration for both socio-economic and environmental sustainability (UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation). However due to both natural and anthropogenic pressures, water quality is known to be threatened in many regions around the world. In this GCRF funded project, Nuestro Rio (“Our River”), we focus on water quality across the Santa River basin in Peru. To gain insights into water quality perspectives in upstream rural regions as well as downstream, urban regions in the Santa Basin, we designed and launched a citizen science app to assess community perceptions and collect images of water quality (April - August 2021). Here we will reflect on the lessons learnt from our interdisciplinary, citizen-led data collection within rural Peruvian communities, with results aimed at improving our understanding and science communication practice within the region.

One key insight we gained throughout the project is that direct interactions with local participants during fieldwork offers invaluable benefits that largely outweigh the monetary and temporal costs and, at the same time, addresses the research fatigue in the region through quality instead of quantity. The Nuestro Rio app and dataset is the result of a year-long interdisciplinary and international collaboration. Whilst the data collection through the app resulted in 350 data entries, the majority of these entries were associated with fieldwork and direct engagement with communities. Uptake of the app by participants who did not directly engage with researchers in the field was poor, demonstrating the importance of relationship building and direct interaction that can help to bridge barriers such as insufficient ability to handle technology or a lack of trust. Furthermore, as a topic for data collection, we found water quality to be a complex concept to gather perceptions on. The term water quality was interpreted differently by various groups of respondents, and often needed clarification during the field-based data collection, especially in rural areas. This issue also confirms the importance of fieldwork to capture this diversity and provide direct communication with participants for better understanding. Our results also indicated a community desire for engagement and openness to the co-design of solutions. The lessons learned from this project offer important considerations for the design of future citizen engagement for data collection and dissemination around environmental issues such as water quality in this region.

How to cite: Rangecroft, S., Dextre, R. M., Richter, I., Kelly, C., Turin, C., Fuentealba, B., Grados Bueno, C. V., Camacho Hernández, M., Morera, S., Martin, J., Guy, A., and Clason, C.: Citizen-led water quality data collection: Experiences from the Santa River basin, Peru, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-5628, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5628, 2022.

How to cite: Reijnders, D., van Sebille, E., and Bijl, P. and the KlimaatHelpdesk Team: KlimaatHelpdesk.org: Connecting citizens with climate questions to experts with answers, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-5705, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5705, 2022.

Educational research shows participation issues across Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are due to whether students see these fields and their potential career opportunities as for “people like me”. These perceptions form early and remain relatively stable with age, which has led to recommendations for increased provision and quality of careers education/engagement at both primary and secondary levels. Space-related roles should be rife for inclusion in careers education resources. However, we find that current UK careers resources concerning the space sector do not perhaps best reflect the diversity of roles present and may in fact perpetuate misconceptions about the usefulness of science. We present the development process of a new space careers resource, detailing how we have attempted to improve the diversity of space-related careers highlighted as well as addressing the key issues and recommendations raised by recent educational research.

How to cite: Archer, M., Waters, C., Dewan, S., Foster, S., and Portas, A.: Developing a new space sector careers resource based on educational research recommendations, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-9729, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9729, 2022.

The International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) is one of the associations under the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics and acts as a non-governmental body to serve scientists and decision-makers in research establishments, government agencies, intergovernmental bodies, and private enterprise. IAGA promotes the work of Earth and space scientists studying the magnetic and electrical properties of the Earth, other planets, the Sun and their phenomena, and interplanetary bodies. IAGA encourages free exchange of scientific information, facilitates international collaboration in research, and is committed to supporting education and outreach.

Since December 2019, IAGA has had a dedicated social media group (under the Interdivisional Commission on Education and Outreach - ICEO) to promote the work of the organisation and encourage the building of an online community. The IAGA social media platforms now include Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and a blog. With half the world’s population always online, it has become imperative to shift research to a virtual platform and adapt so the general public can access information about science in new ways. IAGA’s social media platforms started as an alternative version of mailing lists but have expanded into creating original posts, such as interviews with IAGA members. The IAGA Social Media working group was formally formed in January 2021 with the main aims to provide an easily accessible platform for news and an online community for IAGA members; to increase awareness of the varied work of IAGA, both within the community (to support cross-disciplinary research) and to the general public; and to promote the work of early career researchers and under-represented groups in IAGA 

In the time of a global pandemic, this working group is forging international connections, advertising opportunities, sharing news, and continuing to grow. The working group wish to share scientific successes of IAGA members and promote their work to the scientific community and broader audience. We hope to inspire young adults to be involved in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) community. In this work, we provide some analytics of our social media accounts and examples of techniques that have worked well.

How to cite: Rogers, H., Sharan, S., Di Chiara, A., Kamenikova, T., Leichter, B., Pinheiro, K., and Sanaka, S.: Insights from the work of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) Social Media Working Group, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11381, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11381, 2022.

Antarctica is a continent distant for many, yet its continuous presence on news broadcasts and social media means the general public often have questions about the latest science, its relevance to individuals, and its uncertainties. However, scientific literature surrounding these questions is often not appropriate for a wider audience beyond academia due to the inaccessibility of journal articles and the complex jargon used. These limitations can hinder the research impact of a particular study. Finding a method of summarising complex, yet important research which may be of interest to a non-scientist is often challenging, however ESRI StoryMap Collections provide an opportunity to share science in an interactive and engaging format.

The AntarcticGalciers.org website was set up in 2012 to promote public understanding of glaciers and climate change. This website is used as an educational resource by teachers, students, and the public globally. However, we noticed that there was a gap in the up-to-date resources available about Antarctica aimed at UK KS3 (ages 11-14) students, despite the curriculum including Antarctica as part of a polar biome module.

The free AntarcticGlaciers StoryMap Series, funded by the Antarctic Science Bursary, is compiled of four StoryMap Collections which summarise the latest scientific research and concepts about Antarctica to a KS3 audience. These are divided into four themes: The Physical Geography of Antarctica, Wildlife of Antarctica, Climate Change and Antarctica and People and Antarctica. We used interactive GIS-based activities to contextualise aspects of the research and supplemented with a running commentary explaining what this research means in a plain language format. In addition to the GIS and written summaries of literature, we included other multimedia content, including talking head videos. This enables more complex research themes to be explored in more detail, without the user being overwhelmed with the written information.

Despite this project being aimed at a KS3 audience, the resources have been manufactured in a way which is accessible for any non-specialist with an interest in learning about up-to-date science of Antarctica.

How to cite: Boyall, L., Davies, B., and Thornton, J.: Exploring Antarctic research through ESRI StoryMap Collections, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11581, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11581, 2022.

EGU General Assembly is one of the world’s biggest conferences dedicated to geosciences. It gathers experts from all science fields connected to the study of past, present and future climates. Many of them have an historic perspective on their area of expertise: such knowledge is useful to develop an integrated view of the history of climate sciences.

As our first attempt for EGU2020 was canceled by the COVID-19 due to no in-person meeting, we propose to EGU2022 attendees to help building a collective timeline of the history of climate science. Everyone is invited to come to our poster to add to the printed timeline a scientific breakthrough in her/his field of expertise. This will be an opportunity to chat together on climate science history and to construct together a wider picture of climate sciences.

The final cut of the timeline produced during EGU2022 will be available on our new web page EarthBreath (https://earthbreath.fr), and our Twitter English (@eb_climate_data) and French (@eb_climat_fr) accounts.

EarthBreath is a non-profit initiative that we develop for promoting climate and Earth sciences to diverse publics.

How to cite: Tournadre, B.: Your collective timeline of climate science history, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11886, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11886, 2022.

The Royal Meteorological Society is the UK’s Professional and Learned Society for weather and climate. We work to strengthen the science and raise awareness of the importance of meteorology, support meteorological professionals and inspire enthusiasts. In line with our charitable purpose, science communication is fundamental to many of the activities ongoing at the Society. To name just a few relevant initiatives, the Society holds 65+ events each year, runs an enthusiast blog, runs an annual weather photography competition, and publishes several non-academic books.

We will highlight our recent efforts to communicate journal content to a broader audience; primarily research published in one of our own eight journals, but also landmark reports. Activities include: regularly sharing new articles on social media, producing press releases and organising press briefings, creating short plain language ‘research summaries’ for our website, producing freely available back-to-basics style articles in our member journal with accompanying podcast episodes, and hosting a variety of multidisciplinary events around a range of research article types. We have also been able to use the content published in our journals to support and inform our climate change communication training delivered to broadcast meteorologists and journalists at various media organisations. We will evaluate the impact of our engagement and the audience reach for these activities to better inform future projects at the Society.

How to cite: Mallinson, H.: Exploring different routes for communicating scientific research to broader audiences, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11948, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11948, 2022.

Imagine, a global climate crisis is happening – but nobody cares! With this presentation I want to take you on a journey into the heads of those people who will probably never be with us in academia, who will never enter university. To these people, climate change is not plausible – and they are right: Climate change is a systemic risk, and as such it is crossing borders, complex, stochastic, and there are tipping points, all of which leads to a general implausibility for those who are not quite into science. And I want to take you on a journey through 100 years of scientists failing to make people understand.
With this presentation I want to contribute to a better general understanding of what went wrong in our communication efforts and how we can improve. This reflection takes place on two levels:

• The level of communication: (Geo-)science communication has to be very clear about the difference between the right and the almost right word. Furthermore, it has to be very clear about the difference between informing people and making people understand.
• The level of the characteristics of climate change: The first level is even more important whenever we are dealing with systemic risks like climate change. In our communication efforts, we will have to pay more attention to the pitfalls and paradoxes of systemic risks than we have done so far. Probably the greatest paradox is that we are simply fearing the wrong: We are afraid of things that are highly unlikely (like getting robbed) whilst underestimating risks that are highly probable (like climate change) but not plausible on first sight.

Imagine, a global climate crisis is happening – and our communication is effective, thus the majority of people understands what is at stake. However, doing more of the same will not bring us to this stage. We might have to change the way we communicate and reach out.

How to cite: von Elverfeldt, K.: Imagine it's climate crisis - and nobody gives a sh**! Some reflections on climate change communication, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-12116, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-12116, 2022.

The study of ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation is a matter of great interest in countries such as Spain, where the amount of solar radiation received throughout the year is really high.

According to Intersun (WHO’s Global-UV-Project), outreach programmes are urgently needed to raise awareness of the damaging effects of UV radiation. Furthermore, it highlights the inclusion of young people and children in target groups since the overexposure to UV radiation usually occurs before the age of 18. That excessive exposure in the early years can lead to serious effects in adulthood such as skin cancers and cataracts. It is therefore essential to make youngsters aware of the dangers that overexposure to UV radiation entails and the need to follow healthy habits when performing outdoor activities.

The Research Group “Physics of the Atmosphere, Climate and Radiation of Extremadura” (AIRE) from the Universidad de Extremadura (UEx, Spain), is involved in several projects related to the measurement of UV radiation and the study of its effects on human health.

One of their current projects focuses on disseminating information to the general public about the harmful effects of this radiation, as well as providing some behavioural guidelines to prevent them.

The most innovative action taking place to achieve this objective is the implementation of outreach workshops targeted to elementary and secondary school students. In these hands-on workshops, the students participate in the performance of simple experiments that illustrate methods of protection from the UV radiation. By using UV-sensors, filters, low cost UV indicators and 3D-printed devices which are sensitive to UV radiation, the students learn the effectiveness of the different protective measures, such as sunglasses, sunscreen, clothes, umbrellas, etc.

The interactive approach based on visual and simple experiments is very attractive to students and results key for their engagement. This format also stimulates their interest in science and its applications. The structure of the workshops is also original since the instructors are current and former university students from the Physics Degree at UEx. They demonstrate to the undergraduate students how to perform the aforementioned UV experiments. As a result, these students can also pass on this knowledge and healthy guidelines among their peers and relatives in other contexts like summer camps, gatherings, etc. The small age gap between facilitators and participants plays a significant role in conveying this important message more effectively: to avoid the harmful effects of the overexposure to solar radiation showing scientific evidence and increasing interest in science at a young age.

Several of these outreach workshops have taken place in educational centres, as well as on specific events such as the Science Week, the Researcher’s Night and the Day of Women and Girls in Science. This is a way to involve citizens to actively participate in scientific processes.

This work was supported by Junta de Extremadura and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF A Way of Doing Europe) projects IB18092 and GR18097 and by R+D+i grants RTI 2018-097332-B-C21 and RTI 2018-097332-B-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and "ERDF A Way of Doing Europe".

How to cite: Cancillo, M. L., Serrano, A., Monserrat, J. F., Piedehierro, A. A., Andreu, S., González, C., Alonso, F. J., and García, J. A.: Activities for the prevention of harmful effects due to overexposure to ultraviolet radiation targeted to youngsters and children, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-10691, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-10691, 2022.