CLIMATE CHANGE, THE LOG LINE

Communicating the consensus on climate change

Sam Illingworth, August 10, 2015 (PhysOrg)

“…Climate Change is happening, global warming is real, our planet is changing irrevocably, and it is almost entirely our fault. This is not an opinion or a provocation; this is scientific fact, agreed upon by approximately 97 % of climate scientists…But then there's this equally unavoidable fact. According to the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, in 2014, only 44% of Americans said they thought global warming is both happening and human caused. Without the public accepting the [facts, it is] far less likely to want to accept climate change mitigation policies, such as the recent Obama Clean Power Plan…One of the key findings of [a recent study] was that members of the general public were more likely to correctly estimate scientific agreement when presented with quantitative rather than qualitative statements...It is unlikely that a single exposure to a scientific agreement message will result in complete belief updating; however, … simple clear messages, repeated often, by a variety of trusted sources is an effective framework for public communication…” click here for more

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