The Columbia Water Center is all about science. It’s all about science and scientists doing rigorous and serious research and analysis. But it’s also about using that knowledge to make a difference in the world and to help avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
How we talk about the CWC’s work and about the complex issues we’re working with is very important, but it is often hard to give up specificity in favor of understandability. We can all use reminders about how to communicate clearly and effectively with the general public.
Climate Progress has posted the 2008 article “Improving How Scientists Communicate About Climate Change.” by Susan Joy Hassol, an expert in climate communication, who was lead author of “Impacts of A Warming Arctic,” the synthesis report of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
I found it full of good ideas – ways of saying what you mean in a way other people, non-scientists, will understand. Because in the end, the scientists can’t do it all alone.
