ID: 1491
Presenting Author: Christie Hazell-Marshall
Session: 526 - The Truth Tangle: Untying Misinformation in Impact Assessment
Status: pending
In a world of soundbites, communication of complex issues is difficult. The paper draws on practical examples from 25 years working as an air quality consultant
In a world of media soundbites, effective communication of complex technical issues is highly challenging. There is a temptation to lean into jargon in search of safety or dumbing down critical messages. This is exacerbated by the increasing lack of public trust in corporations, consultants and scientists who can be perceived as being ‘in the pay’ of big business. When face to face and on the spot with the public, effective communication becomes even more difficult.
Through the lens of air quality, the session will consider the key issues. Air quality has a number of challenging concepts, not least of which is that for most air pollutants there are no ‘zero harm’ levels. Instead, air quality standards are set on the basis of a balance between the health and social benefits of clean air, versus the economic burden of achieving clean air. This concept underpins all air quality impact assessments, yet public understanding is limited and it is little discussed in impact assessment.
Real-world examples drawn from 25 years as an environmental consultant will look at key concepts, how to communicate these to the public, where this has been done well, and examples of the consequences where this has been done badly. Ultimately, air quality impact assessments, no matter how well the science is delivered, can fail if the communication with stakeholders is not also well managed
Christie is a Technical Director at ERM with over 30 years of experience in air quality, specialising in industrial and large scale infrastructure.