Climate and ocean change are deeply interconnected, both as physical processes and as societal challenges. The ocean plays a fundamental role in the climate system, while anthropogenic climate change is altering ocean environments in profound and increasingly visible ways. Addressing these changes requires more than scientific knowledge: it also depends on how that knowledge is communicated, learned, interpreted and used across diverse societal contexts.
This interdisciplinary session explores the intersections of climate and ocean science, communication, education, public engagement and ethics. It invites research and practice that examine how individuals, communities, institutions and decision-makers navigate and interpret climate and ocean science, and how effective communication, learning and engagement drive informed societal responses.
We welcome contributions including empirical studies, theoretical and methodological approaches, case studies and evidence-informed practices addressing a broad range of issues, including but not limited to:
• climate and ocean literacy, education, pedagogical approaches and curricula;
• science communication, media, visualisation and storytelling;
• public engagement and communication with policymakers, stakeholders and communities;
• misinformation and disinformation, trust, risk perceptions and the communication of uncertainty;
• evaluation of communication and educational processes, outcomes, limitations and unintended impacts;
• geoethical perspectives, including climate justice, equity, responsibility and the societal roles of scientists, educators and communicators.
By bringing together researchers, educators, communicators and practitioners, this session aims to advance our understanding of how knowledge about climate and ocean change is communicated, interpreted, negotiated and used across different institutions, communities and publics.