Framing Science
Archives for November, 2009
Science and Yale Environment 360 on Climate Fatigue
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 19, 2009 Richard Kerr’s recent news feature at Science magazine offers a compelling look at the many communication challenges on climate change, especially at a time of apparent “climate fatigue.” As Roger Pielke comments in the Science article, by sounding the alarm on climate change too loudly, campaigners may be causing important segments of the audience to…
TONIGHT: NOAA’s Jane Lubchenco to Speak at AU
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 19, 2009 For DC readers, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco will be speaking at American University tonight. Details are below In 1998, Lubchenco as president of AAAS argued for a new social contract for science that requires scientists and their organizations to “communicate their knowledge and understanding widely in order to inform decisions of individuals and institutions.” Her…
Two Articles on Predictions & Hype in Science
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 11, 2009 Earlier this year, in an article at Nature Biotechnology, I joined with several colleagues in warning that the biggest risk to public trust in science is not the usual culprits of religious fundamentalism or “politicization” but rather the increasing tendency towards the stretching of scientific claims and predictions by scientists, university press offices, scientific journals,…
Primer on The Psychology of Climate Change Communication
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 9, 2009 Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions has released a primer on the “Psychology of Climate Change Communication,” synthesizing much of the research of the Center over the past several years. Written by Debika Shome and Sabine Marx, the primer is available both in HTML (by chapter) and in PDF format. Readers will find…
AGU Workshop on Communicating Climate Change: Media, Dialogue, and Public Engagement
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 4, 2009 For their upcoming annual meetings in San Francisco, the American Geophysical Union is sponsoring a pre-conference workshop introducing scientists, public information officers, journalists, and other attendees to several areas of social science research that examine dimensions of climate change communication and public engagement. Below the fold are the details and the conference page is here.…
Andrew Revkin and Katie Couric on Gore’s Choice
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 4, 2009 Over at Dot Earth, the NY Times Andrew Revkin has a good round up and preview on Gore’s new book Our Choice. His post also includes an embedded 30 minute interview between Katie Couric and Gore on his new book. Of interest, Couric asks Gore if he thinks the climate debate has been too technical…
AU Documentary Film Professor Helps PBS Put a Human Face on Climate Change
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 4, 2009 The faculty here at American University’s School of Communication include several of the country’s leading environmental filmmakers with their work coordinated through the Center for Environmental Filmmaking. One of our faculty Larry Engel worked on the recent PBS NOW film “Waterworld” which documents how climate change is impacting Bangladesh. The film describes the human health…
Gore’s Brilliant “Wall” Advertising Strategy and His Back Stage – Front Stage Problem
Posted by Matthew C. Nisbet on November 3, 2009 Repower America’s lastest advertising campaign to promote their new online feature “The Wall” is brilliant. The ads and the social media initiative vividly portray the diversity of support for serious climate action while also framing the relevance of the issue in ways that transcend the traditional ideological divide. As I wrote in a paper this…