As the urgency for climate action increases, so does the need for a climate-literate global population — able to understand how the climate system works, how human actions affect it, and how climate change impacts people and ecosystems, and to combine this knowledge with evidence-based reasoning and systems thinking, with the capacity to evaluate evidence, information and perspectives, and with the agency to shape sustainable futures, individually and collectively. This is frequently summarised as fostering concern and hope.
In this session we will explore how scientists can work with educators and communicators to counter mis- and disinformation, develop critical thinking, and support teachers and others to deliver high-quality climate education. This might be through social media, face-to-face or virtual events, engagement with high-level policy or strategy, or research and publications.
We invite individuals and teams to share good practice, insights and reflections on science communication and education practice and research, including:
• What interventions or collaborations have been tried, or are being developed, to bring scientists, educators and communicators together?
• What are good measures of the impact of interventions on the climate literacy of individuals, groups or communities?
• How can scientists become good educators and/or communicators, or form productive partnerships with them?
• How to achieve the right balance between ‘concern’ (understanding the causes and impacts of anthropogenic climate change) and ‘hope’ and/or agency?