According to experts, we might say that climate change is the issue of our times. The issue that matters. More scientists should enter the climate change discussion, say five climate communication professionals who paused for a few minutes at the 2012 AGU Fall Meeting to advocate for broader participation from scientists.
In the latest AGU video, each shared a few thoughts on the importance of speaking up and on preparing ahead in order to make a connection with general audiences.

Watch the video:

Here are their top tips from the video:

•  Take responsibility and talk about climate change.

“Scientists should really think carefully about the messages that they want to get across to people”, says Susan Joy Hassol, director of Climate Communication; “one of the problem is that scientists have often no communication training at all. They need some to do a better job and to communicate the importance of their work to everyday people”.

• Know your audience.

Part of preparing to share science research is considering who you are talking to. Richard Somerville (University of California, San Diego), tells scientists to think about their audience. Is it a political group? A business person? “You have to understand why people are coming to you. Very few people want to be simply informed about climate research for its own sake,” Somerville says.

• Explain what we know and why it matters.

Scientists often want to start with what they don’t know. The public, though, wants to hear what scientists do know.
“We know that climate is changing, we know that it’s humans who are causing it, we know that the impacts will be severe and many of them are already showing…and we know that there [are] things we can do about it,” says Katharine Hayhoe (Climate Science Center, Texas Tech University).
Above all, instead of changing people’s values, scientists need to tap into people’s existing ones. Climate change is already affecting each one of us in the place where we live; so, we all have already the values to care about climate change and “we all want a sustainable Earth, a healthy economy, a good health or a better life for our children”, Hayhoe says.

• Keep it simple.

One of the most critical things to do when communicating the complex facts surrounding climate change is to keep it simple, points out James Balog (Extreme Ice Survey).

• Be passionate!

“Start with the science”, Hunter Cutting (Climate Nexus) says, “but then move to the threats of climate change, and ultimately, the opportunities to fix and address it”.

Because climate change is becoming a moral responsibility, we can’t be quiet about climate change anymore.

Fore more information, visit: SharingScience.AGU.com