Five Things To Remember While Explaining Climate Change

How to persuade people that climate change is real

Alexander Maki, November 28, 2017

“…[The Trump administration has asked for $12 billion to help communities fight climate-change-related flooding…[W]e don’t know whether Trump has actually come to agree with the scientific consensus that humans have caused a drastic change in Earth’s climate…But the news prompts the question: What exactly does change minds about climate science? Research suggests that a variety of messages can influence people’s agreement with the scientific consensus that the Earth is warming and humans are contributing to it. And different people may respond differently to different kinds of messages…[First, a] growing body of research on climate change communication…[shows that,] in general, matching messenger to audience leads to more effective messages…[Second,] tailoring messages to fit the audience’s values can make people more willing to believe climate science…[Third, educating] people about the science can make a difference…[but it is not clear that] metaphors or narratives can help…[Fourth, emphasizing] risk may spur people to action…[Much research] suggests that when people experience extreme weather or have noticed changes in the local weather, they are more likely to believe that climate change is occurring…[And] research suggests that when individuals and communities feel that they can help mitigate climate change, they’re more likely to act…” click here for more

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