Climate Change Communication for the Conservation Professional Amanda Staudt, Ph.D. National Wildlife Federation June 6, 2013

Provide HOPE

TAILOR your communication

Consider your FRAME

Frame 1: Emphasize Preparedness

FRAME 2: Build on Conservation Expertise

Frame 3: Make it Personal and Local

Junk the jargon Scientific term Public meaning Better choice EnhanceImprove intensify, increase Positive feedback good response, praise vicious cycle, self-reinforcing cycle UncertaintyIgnoranceRange Bias distortion, political motive offset from an observation Excerpted from Somerville and Hassol (2011).

Be ready for skeptics

Stick to science basics Lead with what we DO know, rather than the uncertainties Link events to trends and other recent events Point to the scientific consensus Return to common ground

Top tips for effective communication about climate-smart conservation Balance the science with hope Tailor communications to your audience Emphasize preparedness, risk reduction and a healthy future Build on conservation expertise Make it personal and local Junk the jargon Be ready for skeptics

For more information: Thank you! Flickr (mahalie)

References (1) CCSP, 2008: Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate. Regions of Focus: North America, Hawaii, Caribbean, and U.S. Pacific Islands. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. Department of Commerce, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, Washington, D.C., USA, 164 pp. Climate Nexus, Connecting the Dots: A Communications Guide to Climate Change and Extreme Weather. Available at: content/uploads/2012/05/connectingthedots.pdfhttp://climatenexus.org/wp- content/uploads/2012/05/connectingthedots.pdf CRED (Center for Research on Environmental Deci­sions) The Psychology of Climate Change Communica­tion: A Guide for Scientists, Journalists, Educators, Political Aides, and the Interested Public. New York. Diez, J., et al Will extreme climatic events facilitate biological invasions? Front Ecol Environ 2012; 10(5): 249–257 Hansen, J., M. Sato, R. Ruedy Perceptions of Climate Change: The New Climate Dice. Submitted for publication to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, PNAS. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 881 pp.

References (2) IPCC, Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation. National Research Council (NRC), Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia. Staudinger, MD, NB Grimm, A Staudt, SL Carter, FS Chapin III, P Kareiva, M Ruckelshaus, BA Stein Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services: Technical Input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment. Cooperative Report to the 2013 National Climate Assessment. Tebaldi, Strauss, and Zervas, Modeling sea level rise impacts on storm surges along US coasts. Environmental Research Letters, USGCRP Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. Thomas R. Karl, Jerry M. Melilo, and Thomas C. Peterson (eds.). Cambridge University Press.

A few good sources for climate science information and communication resources – blogs authored by climate scientists providing rigorous analysis of climate science issueshttp://realclimate.org – website focused on “Explaining climate change science & rebutting global warming misinformation” good summaries of science on climate extremeshttp://climatecommunication.org/ – portal for National Climate Assessment reports and data from federal agencieshttp://globalchange.gov