Re-messaging Climate Change
By: Jamie Beckett, BJ Boyles,
Caitlin Broman, Matt Lipke, Chris
McCarthy, Justin Sackel, Shannon
Scarbrough, and Megan Sullivan
Photo Courtesy of NASA
Purpose
Address the disconnect between consensus of the
scientific community and public understanding
So What?
For people to be involved they need to relate and
comprehend to the issues at hand
We depend on the health of the environment and the
health of the environment depends on the PEOPLE
Our Goal
Provide a medium for the Vermont
Department of Fish and Wildlife that can
effectively communicate conservation
issues in hopes for increased public
support and funding. This project may
also be used as a template for other
organizations.
Objectives
1. Research and utilize literature on effective science communication
techniques.
2. Develop a short film on Hurricane Irene, its impacts, and mitigation
techniques.
3. Develop a conservation plan on flood resiliency for Vermont
Department of Fish and wildlife.
4. Develop a survey designed to assess the general public's outlook on
certain conservation issues.
Our Plan
1. Communication:
Stressor: Climate Science Deniers
Receptor: Local and Global Population
Assessment Endpoint: Potential changed outlook on issue presented to audience member
2. Conservation:
Stressor: Flood events
Receptor: People living within the floodplain and the surrounding ecosystems
Assessment Endpoint: Improved infrastructure and flood prevention techniques
Our Methods
● Research
● Engaging the public
● Conducting interviews to produce a short
film
Source:climatechangecommunication.org
Source:
Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Source: Environmental and Energy Study
Institute
The 6 Americas
Source: Yale/George Mason University
Source: Yale/Mason
source: Gallup
Changing Traditional Methods
Old: Deficit Model
New: Engagement
http://blogs.nature.com/soapboxscience/files/2013/02/scicomm1.jpg
Why Does it Matter?
● Public understanding of climate science = educated
decisions about future of environment
● Our project: Increase awareness and gain support for
efforts to increase flood resiliency
What affects our beliefs?
News source: “Echo-chamber Effect”
Feldman, L. et al., 2014
● People are exposed to
content consistent with
their worldviews and
shielded from dissenting
views
● Increases polarization
resulting in difficulties
for policy makers
● Conservative news
sources: Fox News, Rush
Limbaugh
● Non-conservative
sources: CNN, MSNBC,
NPR
What affects our beliefs?
Politics
Gallup
What affects our beliefs?
Economy
Gallup
“For each 3.1°F that local temperatures in the past week have risen
above normal, Americans become 1% more likely to agree that there
is ‘solid evidence’ that the Earth is getting warmer.”
Egan & Megan Mullin 2012
The Theory of Motivated Reasoning:
Illustration: Jonathon Rosen
Offer Solutions
Feinberg and Willer 2010
Instill Hope
Climate Change Elevator Speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGmk4bpIVs
Interview with Skeptic Marc Moron and Professor
Watson on BBC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpEGBg
HxNTQ
Myth Debunking 101
● Tricky because debunking may further reinforce myth
o take care to avoid backfire effects
 Familiarity Backfire Effect
 Overkill Backfire Effect
 Worldview Backfire Effect
● It’s not what people think but how they think
o people aren’t computers - complex cognitive processes, emotions
● To effectively debunk a myth, you need to fill the gap with an
alternative explanation
Source: Myth Debunking Handbook
Familiarity Backfire Effect
Overkill Backfire Effect
Worldview Backfire Effect
Debunking reinforces myth
Not understanding leads to
not accepting as true
Cognitive processes
associated with can lead to
unconscious information bias
People shown flyer
debunking myths about
vaccines were asked to take
a test to separate fact from
myth - scored worse than if
never presented with myth
(Skurnik, I., Yoon, C., Park, D.,
Schwartz, N. 2005)
Approach: focus on the
facts, avoid bringing up the
myth
Simple myth more attractive
than complex truth
(Confirmation bias)
Information that is easier to
process is more likely to be
accepted as true
People were presented facts
they gravitate towards info
they already agree with
(Schwartz et al. 2007)
(Taber & Lodge 2006)
Approach: stick to the
facts, keep it simple
Approach: self-affirmation,
re-framing
Avoid scientific jargon
and words with double
meaning
Source: Physics Today
Connecting with people’s values
What pulls on your audience's heart strings?
● Saving money?
● Stewardship?
● Skiing?
● Children’s future?
● Health?
● What do Vermonters care about?
Communicating with the Public
Avoid science jargon.
Know your audience, relate to their lives.
Relatability ($, things they love)
Appeal to their emotions and their
worldview.
● Use easy to understand and aesthetically
pleasing visuals.
● Foster hope! Be positive!
●
●
●
●
Visual Communication
- Appeals to the senses
- example: video,
colored graphs,
pictures
Allows:
- Immediacy
- Simplicity
- Flexibility
Film - A Powerful Tool
Collaboration between different people
● Builds networking for you/your ideas
● Tracking and demographics available
through online sites
● Easy to get feedback
● Super fun!
●
BAMIE WHAM TIME!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dv8lUyo
2l4
Our Short Film
● Short film about Irene, her aftermath, and
flood resiliency
● Interviewed several different people
● Using actual footage from storm and
recovery efforts
● Hopefully can be a template for VT Fish and
Wildlife
Personal example - Elixir
● Science fiction but grounded in reality
● Theme of water availability and
privatization issues
● Uses concepts, ideas, and case studies we
have talked about in our classes
● Brings certain issues to light
● Combine forces with others (Oxfam and
WASH)
Elixir Sizzler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHYyH27
H9ZU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf4J5JKrc
wk (Trailer #1)
Elixir
Climate Change & Flood Resilience
● Conservation focus:
flood resilience
● More intense storm
events and higher
precipitation levels =
more and more flooding,
regardless of whether or
not climate change is to
blame
Source: AP Photo, The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz
The Issue:
The state and EPA plans often ignore conservation
actions, even though they very clearly lead to improved
flood resilience.
● The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife does not
receive support for effective and beneficial projects
Conservation Plan
Flood Resilience
● Legislation for the protection of wetland
and floodplain habitat
Wetland and floodplain protection!!! Why?
They are a main defense for upland as they catch rising waters
and slow them down.
Provide waterfowl habitat.
Could even consider artificial wetlands near cities
and towns.
Dredging and Stream Channelization
Flood Resilience
River Corridors
● Buy/ protect flood prone areas
● Riparian Buffers and streambank stabilization to
prevent erosion and stream incision
● Larger fish culverts cause less channelization and
allow higher peak flow before flooding occurs
● Discourage new development
o New development outside vulnerable areas
A message from Julia Roberts...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVLcjXKnM
Conclusion
● Riparian buffers
● Floodplain and wetland
protection
● Methods for communicating
climate science
Conclusion
● Ultimately, through various mediums, we have worked
to paint a vivid image of the impact that climate
change can have on a very local scale.
● The effects of climate change are everywhere, we
must get individuals to understand the science in order
for them to see the global impact it has.
Special thanks to Tom Rogers from VT Fish and
Wildlife for his leadership and contributions to
this project.
Acknowledgments
Breck!
Carol Adair
Interviewees; Stephanie Castle, Liz Holtz,
Ryan McNally, Jamie Beckett
Bibliography
Cook, J., Lewandowsky, S. (2011), The Debunking Handbook. St. Lucia, Australia: University of Queensland.
November 5. ISBN 978-0-646-56812-6. [http://sks.to/debunk]
Feldman, L., Myers, T. A., Hmielowski, D., Leiserowitz, A. 2014. The mutual reinforcement of media selectivity and
effects: Testing the reinforcing spirals framework in the context of global warming. Journal of Communication
64:590-611.
Schwarz, N., Sanna, L., Skurnik, I., & Yoon, C. (2007). Metacognitive experiences and the intricacies of setting
people straight:Implications for debiasing and public information campaigns. Advances in Experimental Social
Psychology, 39, 127-161.
Skurnik, I., Yoon, C., Park, D., & Schwarz, N. (2005). How warnings about false claims become recommendations.
Journal of Consumer Research, 31, 713-724.
Taber, C. S., & Lodge, M. (2006). Motivated skepticism in the evaluation of political beliefs. American Journal of
Political Science, 50, 755–69.