ID: 2161
Presenting Author: Tara Wood
Session: 654 - Culture's Role in Impact Assessment
Status: pending
xplored perspectives of climate academics on communication methods and shortcomings. Showed the need for communication approaches that involve tailoring strategies to diverse publics.
As Canada addresses climate change, effective public science communication contributes to achievement of climate adaptation strategies. Despite strides in fortifying the foundational knowledge underpinning climate change adaptation, a dearth of effective communication strategies persists, hindering the dissemination of scientific information across diverse audiences.
Findings revealed that there is consensus among climate academics on the urgency of addressing climate change, and a shared concern about the effectiveness of current communication strategies and knowledge mobilization. Both qualitative and quantitative results showed that respondents were attuned to the importance of factors and barriers that impacted public understanding of climate science including political beliefs, trust in science, misinformation/disinformation, and economics.
This research underscored the necessity for a more interdisciplinary approach to climate science communication, one that not only involves scientists but also engages communities in the conversation. This engagement is needed to tailor climate science communication to consider political ideologies, religious beliefs, lived experiences, and various other aspects of individual and community backgrounds that shape the public’s acceptance of climate science, and science more generally. It is important to study these factors now as these diverse communities play a pivotal role in both challenging and enriching the national discourse on climate change.
Tara Wood earned her degrees from Concordia University (Montréal QC) where her interdisciplinary background inspired her to study the importance of tailoring science communication to diverse publics.