Transcript Climate Change: Why dire climate warnings boost scepticism

By Juliette and Pratheep
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“Gaby argues that the fund's videos do
effectively target the people that they are
trying to reach”
Society question Do they really effectively
target the “people that they are trying to
reach”? Who are these people?
Science question How did he collect the
data for this statement?
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Society: people who could be targeted are
those who did not know much about the
situation going on; other people that knew
more or less the situation would just be
pushed to act more .
Science: He collected this data through a set
of surveys and observing the reactions to the
movies he showed.
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“…presenting children as the main victims of
climate change, a common feature of warning
messages, might be viewed as unfair because
children have not caused global warming”
Ex. “The first showed a train speeding
towards a small girl as a metaphor for the
impending catastrophe that awaits the
world's children. The second showed anxious
children verbally simulating a clock ticking
while describing the climate devastation that
is coming.
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Society values of people? Children used as
representations for climate change is not
new. Effectiveness? Is it morally right to use
them?
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Society: Children have been used in other ads
as a way to get the attention of the people,;
depending on the values of said people, they
will either want to act and do something for
the children or are completely unfazed by
them
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“the apocalyptic descriptions of global
warming's possible consequences, might
threaten people's natural tendency to believe
that the world is a fundamentally fair and stable
place.”
Science what are some apocalyptic
descriptions?
Science effectiveness? Too farfetched?
Scepticism ? Concern?
Possible Answers
Science:
 positive feedback that could arise from warming results from
melting ice and is known as the ice-reflectivity feedback. If
temperatures warm near the Arctic, sea ice would likely melt.
Because seawater is not as reflective as ice, the loss of ice
would result in additional warming.
 negative feedback that could arise from warming is an
increase in low clouds from increased evaporation (which
warming promotes). The addition of low and/or thick clouds
(e.g. stratus, cumulonimbus clouds) would tend to cool the
climate (by reflecting sunlight) – decreasing the warming.
Society:
 Reactions:
1. Deny it
2. Fight it
3. Dilute it
4. Delay it
5. Do it
6. Market it
Use this slide merely as conclusion to the presentation. Restating
the three questions that were raised and analyzed during the
course of the presentation.
 Use of videos an effective way to reach the target demographic
and how reliable, accurate, and bias these videos are. How can
viewer judge appropriately what is being presented to them?
The use of children as messengers in cads to raise awareness.
What alternatives exist that do not necessarily exploit any groups?
The effectiveness of scientific facts. How can we ensure that
scientific data is presented to the general public in an unbiased
and subjective yet effective way? Since science, by nature, is always
subject to controversy; is it the best way to raise awareness and
spread info??