How can scientists and governments ensure that their communication resonates more deeply with citizens without resorting to the manipulative tactics used by those who seek to undermine liberal democracy? How can scientific and government actors ensure their communications are equally meaningful and ethical?
This Short Course will combine insights from state-of-the-art scientific knowledge, novel empirical research on values-targeted communication strategies, and a deep understanding of practitioners’ and citizens’ attitudes on these topics. Examples from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre will be used to share practical guidance for scientists who need to successfully navigate the policy world.
Public information:
Speaker Bios:
Joeri Rogelj is Professor of Climate Science and Policy, and Director of Research of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment at Imperial College London. He explores how societies can transform towards more sustainable futures connecting Earth system sciences to the study of societal change and policy.
He has published on 1.5°C pathways, carbon budgets, net zero targets, equity and fairness in climate policy and the effectiveness of international climate agreements such as the Paris Agreement.
Prof Rogelj is a long-serving lead author on reports of the UN Environment Program and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He coordinated the mitigation pathways assessment for the IPCC 1.5°C Special Report and served as a Lead Author on the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. Since 2022, he is a member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.
Dr Michael Pahle is head of the working group “Climate and Energy Policy” at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). He holds a PhD in economics from TU Berlin. His research focuses on emission trading systems, public support for carbon pricing, and regulatory frameworks to achieve net-zero. He is Principle Investigator on “European Climate and Energy Policy” in the BMBF Ariadne Project, Germany’s largest social science Energiewende research project. Based on his research, Michael advises the German government and parliament, the EU Commission and the EU Parliament on the development, reform and extension of emission trading. He is a member of the consultative working group for the European Securities and Markets Authority 's (ESMA) Risk Comittee, and a member of the technical working group of the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge.
Michael collaborates with leading think tanks in the EU, including the European University Institute based in Florenz and Bruegel based in Brussels, and is a member of the Global Climate Policy Partnership, a US-based global network of research institutions to help major economies and businesses achieve ambitious climate goals. Michael’s work and views on climate policy have been covered in leading national and international media outlets, including FAZ, Spiegel, Süddeutsche, Zeit, Handelsblatt, El País, Politiken, Euractiv, Financial Times, Bloomberg, New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Noel C. Baker is a climate scientist, artist, and science communicator. She currently works as the project manager of ALTIUS and other Earth observation missions at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy. She also serves as the science policy officer for the Belgian hub of the Europlanet society. She is also a member of EGU’s Science for Policy Working Group, supporting EGU’s Task Forces in their former Policy Priority Area of biodiversity (2020-2024) and current Policy Priority Area of climate hazards and risks (2025-2029).
Formerly a NASA postdoctoral fellow and later working for the European Commission, Noel has insight into both US national and European international climate science policy. She also regularly gives speeches at climate activist demonstrations in front of the European Parliament.
Mario Scharfbillig uses behavioural insights to improve evidence-informed policymaking and democratic processes in the EU. He is working at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, leading the Enlightenment 2.0 research programme. He is also in the advisory board to several organisations such as the Democracy & Belonging Forum at the UC Berkeley and the Science for Policy Working Group at the European Geoscience Union and representing the EU in the G7 working group on Science Communication.
He received his PhD in economics from the University of Mainz, where he specialized in research on behavioural economics and public policy and managed the Interdisciplinary Public Policy (IPP) research group. For his work on advising policymakers, he was named among the "50+1 Influential Researchers Whose Work Could Help Shape 21st Century Politicians" by Apolitical.