1,3,1,- 1Department of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- 2Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (CNR-ISAC), National Research Council of Italy, Italy
- 3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano–Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- 4Meteorology and Climate Research Department, Mediterranean Centre for Environmental Studies (CEAM), Valencia, Spain
Record global temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events in 2023 and 2024 underline once more the urgent need to tackle climate change and its far-reaching environmental, social and economic consequences. As these impacts grow more severe, it is crucial for the scientific community to communicate climate research effectively to both the public and policymakers. Bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding is essential for favoring informed decision-making and meaningful action on climate issues.
While scientists are among the most trusted professionals, enhancing communication efforts requires collaboration across disciplines - particularly with experts in communication. At the 2024 Annual Meeting of the European Meteorological Society (EMS) in Barcelona, we organized a workshop for climate scientists focused on the challenges of communicating climate science. Bringing together specialists in neuroscience, communication, activism, and journalism, the workshop fostered cross-disciplinary discussions to develop strategies for increasing public engagement with the climate crisis.
In this presentation, we summarize the workshop’s key outcomes, emphasizing the need to train climate scientists in communication skills, expand interdisciplinary collaboration, and apply insights from neuroscience to better address cognitive biases and foster attitude change.
Major takeaways include:
- recognizing and valuing the expertise and perspectives of the other party in the dialogue (dialogue-model),
- understanding the influence of cognitive dissonance and biases in climate science communication, and
- crafting persuasive, evidence-based narratives that highlight both problem and solution through partnerships with communication professionals, such as journalists.
These recommendations aim to empower the next generation of climate scientists to engage with society as trusted and impactful communicators.
How to cite: Mittermeier, M., Portal, A., Meroni, A., Böhnisch, A., and Khodayar Pardo, S.: Bridging Science and Society: Insights from Workshop on Climate Communication during EMS Annual Meeting 2024, EMS Annual Meeting 2025, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 7–12 Sep 2025, EMS2025-715, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2025-715, 2025.
Supporters & sponsors
