Transcript Making Climate Hot: Communicating the Urgency and

Making Climate Hot:
Communicating the Urgency and
Challenge of Global Climate Change
Lisa Dilling1,2 and Susanne Moser2
1University
of Colorado, Boulder
2National Center for Atmospheric Research
Lack of Urgency: Multiple strikes…

Climate change is a
“creeping problem”
 System lags and lack of
immediacy
 Complexity and uncertainty
 Human perception limits and
priorities
 Communication failures




Media channels and practices
Failure to explain causes, solutions
Bad choice of frames, wrong
mental models
Science is mis-used to mask the
real debate– values, policy, options
Public perceptions…





~90% of American public is aware of “global
warming”
For ~30% it is personally serious, urgent, worth
worrying about
Still confusion about causes of global warming
Global warming seen as inevitable and
unfixable
Few know about solutions; most are believed
to be ineffective or irrelevant
“The typical global warming news
story overwhelms and immobilizes
people.”
(Frameworks Institute 2003)
Fear and guilt are
ineffective motivators….
There are better alternatives!







Abide by basic communication
rules
Address the emotional and
temporal dimensions of
“urgency”
Increase the persuasiveness
of the message
Use trusted messengers,
broaden the circle
Use opportunities well
Tap into individual and cultural
strengths and values
Unite and conquer
400
Final thoughts…

Energize dialogue: de-polarize climate change
 Seek out both likely and unlikely partners



Multiple opportunities for climate communication


Explore shared interests, values, common ground
Link to immediate concerns with a climate angle (e.g.
energy efficiency standards, cost savings, quality of
life)
e.g. policy formulation, educational curricula, civic
movements, faith-based organizations
Various levels of governmental organization
involved– local, state, federal, international
Thank you!
Work supported by:
 MacArthur Foundation,
 National Science Foundation
 Walter Orr Roberts Institute
 National Center for Atmospheric Research
For more information:
http://www.isse.ucar.edu/communication/
Moser and Dilling. 2004. Making Climate Hot:
Communicating the urgency and challenge of global
climate change. Environment 46 (10):32-46