Scientists' Climate Change Messaging Anything But Clear

authordefault
on

Grist Magazine has turned up another excellent climate change piece – this time an excerpt from “Americans and Climate Change: Closing the Gap Between Science and Action” (PDF) a report synthesizing the insights of 110 leading thinkers on how to educate and motivate the American public on the subject of global warming.

The report strays into the an arena more typically occupied by public relations professionals, talking about the weight, meaning and persuasive power of language and the weighty, confusing and dismaying language that scientists most often employ. For example, the article points out:

“The (climate change) issue has been loaded up with an impenetrable construct of jargon – ranging from the scientists’ ‘positive feedback loops’ or ‘positive radiative forcing’ (‘positive’ in these cases actually refers to something bad) to the policy-makers’ tradable emissions permits denominated in ‘tons’ of carbon dioxide-equivalent (to the average American, ‘tons’ presumably connote elephants more than invisible air molecules). Scientists say ‘anthropogenic’ when ‘man- made’ would be more widely understood.”

Typically, the whole piece is a little dense (which is to say “heavy going,” not “thick”), but well worth the read.

Related Posts

on

The latest vote was postponed after state senators considered shoring up the budget with a natural gas tax.

The latest vote was postponed after state senators considered shoring up the budget with a natural gas tax.
Opinion
on

The amount and scale of new pipelines envisioned to transport CO2 to planned carbon storage sites is hard to fathom — let alone the environmental justice impacts they foretell.

The amount and scale of new pipelines envisioned to transport CO2 to planned carbon storage sites is hard to fathom — let alone the environmental justice impacts they foretell.
on

Seven years after Fort McMurray inferno, John Vaillant sees ‘almost identical’ conditions and laments ‘avoidable’ blazes to come.

Seven years after Fort McMurray inferno, John Vaillant sees ‘almost identical’ conditions and laments ‘avoidable’ blazes to come.
on

The backbench Conservative MP joins a growing list of influential directors at Net Zero Watch and the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

The backbench Conservative MP joins a growing list of influential directors at Net Zero Watch and the Global Warming Policy Foundation.