scholarly journals Using Scientific Conferences to Engage the Public on Climate Change

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-230
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Hicke ◽  
John T. Abatzoglou ◽  
Steven Daley-Laursen ◽  
Jamie Esler ◽  
Lauren E. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
School Students ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Climate Change ◽  
Conference Attendance

Abstract Climate change is often perceived as controversial in the public’s view. One meaningful way scientists can address this problem is to engage with the public to increase understanding of climate change. Attendees of scientific conferences address climate change within meetings yet rarely interact with the public as part of conference attendance. Here, we describe outreach (sending experts into the community) and inreach (bringing the public to a conference) activities at the 2015 Northwest Climate Conference in Idaho that were designed to increase the local community’s understanding of climate change and foster interaction between scientists and the public. Conference attendees volunteered to visit community schools and civic groups to give presentations and engage in a discussion on climate change. We designed a well-attended evening plenary session for the public that featured an experienced speaker who described local climate change impacts important to the community. Local high school students attended the conference, and several were mentored by conference attendees. We reached an estimated 1,000 students and 500 other members of the public in person and many others via advertising and newspaper articles. Keys to our success were local contacts with excellent connections to schools, civic organizations, local government officials, interest groups, and a pool of motivated, enthusiastic conference attendees who were already traveling to the area. We encourage other conference organizers to consider these activities in their future meetings to increase public knowledge of climate change, particularly given the urgency of action needed to limit future climate change and its impacts.

Looking broadly and deeply into perspectives of local climate change impacts among visitors to Missouri state parks

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lisa Groshong
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
State Parks ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Local Climate Change ◽  
Change Mitigation

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Missouri's outdoor recreation resources provide numerous mental, physical, and social values to millions of people each year and serve as a major contributor to the statewide economy. However, climate change threatens these benefits. This project sought to explore climate change perceptions and place attachment of outdoor enthusiasts in Missouri as a step toward managing natural and cultural resources for ongoing climate resilience. This study used interviews and a statewide visitor survey to measure climate change impacts on visitors to Missouri's state parks and historic sites. The dissertation is formatted in three manuscripts. The first manuscript assessed how engaged state park users perceive climate change impacts and what they view as the agency role in climate change mitigation, education, and communication. The second manuscript identified health concerns related to climate change and examined how these concerns affect park use. The final manuscript examined the role of place attachment in determining visitors' willingness to engage in climate friendly behavior and support for management action to minimize climate-change impacts. Overall findings suggested climate-change related management challenges and provided evidence for visitor support for education and action. Opportunities were identified for state park managers to take action toward locally-oriented climate change mitigation, education and communication. Place attachment dimensions were affirmed as tools for engaging visitors in climate-related actions, both in and beyond park settings.

Students' Understanding of Climate Change: Insights for Scientists and Educators

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 2232-2240 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Rajeev Gowda ◽  
Jeffrey C. Fox ◽  
Robin D. Magelky
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High School Students ◽  
News Media ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Educational Role ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
High Level

Teachers and meteorologists are among the most respected purveyors of scientific information to the public. As such, they can play an influential role in educating the public about basic atmosphere-related phenomena. To better fulfill this educational role, it is necessary to (i) identify and (ii) correct people's major misconceptions about climatic and atmospheric issues, including global climate change. This paper reports the results of a survey of high school students' knowledge and attitudes about climate change. The authors use open-ended survey questions to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the range of “mistakes” that are made. The results show misconceptions including inflated estimates of temperature change, confusion between ozone depletion and global warming, the perception of warmer weather and a belief that all environmentally harmful acts cause climate change. Also discussed is the origin of these mistakes from the perspective of current social scientific literature. It is suggested that these misconceptions arise from low levels of information, reliance on the televised news media, use of judgmental heuristics, confusion between weather and climate, and “fuzzy environmentalism,” wherein students perceive disparate environmental harms as significantly interrelated. The study also reveals that students have a very high level of trust in scientists and teachers. This suggests a role for scientists and educators through which they help correct misconceptions about climate change and ensure that people adopt effective environmentally protective measures.

Partnerships to Visualize Climate Change Futures in Tampa Bay, Florida

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-47
Author(s):  
Rebecca K. Zarger ◽  
Gina Larsen ◽  
Alexis Winter ◽  
Libby Carnahan ◽  
Ramona Madhosingh-Hector ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Tampa Bay ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Extension Agents ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
The Public

Abstract Our project investigates public perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability in the Tampa Bay, Florida, region, specifically focused on how climate change is likely to impact water infrastructure in the area. As part of the project, our research team of anthropologists and environmentally-focused state extension agents collaboratively developed public workshops to promote more dialogue on local climate change impacts. The anthropologists developed localized climate change scenarios based on global climate models, Florida-centric models, and input from key informants. Extension agents brought expertise in climate and sustainability science and facilitating educational programming and dialogue. We documented residents' concerns and views on climate change, how local scenarios are received by the public, and how scenarios can be communicated to the public through narrative and visual formats. We consider the roles of anthropologist-extension agent partnerships in creating new spaces for dialogue on climate change futures.

Media coverage of climate change information by the Tanzania Guardian and Daily News in 2015

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Elia
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Communication Policy ◽  
Daily News ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Climate Change Information ◽  
Local Climate Change ◽  
Microsoft Office

The study examined the reportage of information on climate change in the Guardian and the Daily News, two leading broadsheet newspapers in Tanzania. Data were collected and analysed using the informetrics method. Content analysis was used to delineate themes. Quantitative data generated was analysed using Microsoft Office Excel Software 2007 to generate graphs and charts. In all, 338 articles from 728 newspaper issues from January to December 2015 were collected and analysed. Key findings indicate that climate change impacts and adaptation, climate change conferences and policy, politics and development were themes mostly covered in the two newspapers under review. Findings also indicate an increased coverage of international and local climate change news. The study concludes that the access of journalists to relevant and reliable Internet resources influenced the climate change information appearing in the two newspapers. Thus, the study recommends for climate scientists and policy-makers to train journalists on proper analysis and reporting of climate related information. Moreover, the study suggests establishing a communication policy framework designed to enhance journalists’ and media owners’ access to and effective dissemination of climate change information.

scholarly journals Better Safe than Sorry: Local Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Activities in North-East Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-73
Author(s):  
Mary Ann Alua ◽  
Kenneth Peprah ◽  
Godwin Thomas Wedam Achana
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
North East ◽  
The Face ◽  
Local Climate Change ◽  
The Government ◽  
Local Impacts

 Water is precious and vulnerable simultaneously in the face of climate change impacts. Farmers respond differently to climate change impacts depending on available resources. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of access to water on smallholder farmers’ coping strategies to climate change impacts in the semi-arid zone (Aw climate). Using a mixed method approach, 6 focus group discussions, 10 key informant interviews and 148 questionnaires were administered to farmers. Quantitative data were analysed and presented using descriptive statistics whilst qualitative data were transcribed and discussed alongside. The study found that in coping with local climate change, farmers’ incomes are dependent on availability of water to supplement rainfall. Therefore, communities closer to the waters of the Tono irrigation dam have greater advantage over other communities that rely on waters from dugouts and wells. Also, income gained from farming is complemented with supplementary incomes from activities such as petty trading, carpentry and sale of farmers’ labour on other farms. Availability of water, particularly, during the dry season is a determinant factor of success in terms of good farm produce, income and better coping with local climate change impacts. To help these water-stressed farmers, the provision of sustainable sources of water is inevitable.  The government and smallholders need to work together to solve the problem.

scholarly journals Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Adapt to Climate Change in Interior Sarawak

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Nadzirah Hosen ◽  
Hitoshi Nakamura ◽  
Amran Hamzah
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Local Climate Change

Indigenous people often rely on natural resources for their livelihoods. This reliance increases their vulnerability towards the impacts of climate change, and coping with increased climate variability is a significant challenge for such communities. This research, conducted among the Sa’ban tribe of Long Banga in interior Sarawak, Malaysia, explored observations of local climate change, climate change impacts and tribal adaptation strategies. The results show that drought, wildfires and uncertain weather conditions are the Sa’ban’s primary concerns. However, the tribe have demonstrated their adaptation strategies through the use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).Keywords: indigenous people, traditional ecological knowledge, adaptive capacity, climate change adaptationeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i11.1716

scholarly journals A new methodology for building local climate change scenarios: A case study of monthly temperature projections for Mexico City

Atmósfera ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCISCO ESTRADA ◽  
VÍCTOR M. GUERRERO
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Multivariate Time Series ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Local Climate Change ◽  
Simulated Climate

This paper proposes a new methodology for generating climate change scenarios at the local scale based on multivariate time series models and restricted forecasting techniques. This methodology offers considerable advantages over the current statistical downscaling techniques such as: (i) it provides a better representation of climate at the local scale; (ii) it avoids the occurrence of spurious relationships between the large and local scale variables; (iii) it offers a more appropriate representation of variability in the downscaled scenarios; and (iv) it allows for compatibility assessment and combination of the information contained in both observed and simulated climate variables. Furthermore, this methodology is useful for integrating scenarios of local scale factors that affect local climate. As such, the convenience of different public policies regarding, for example, land use change or atmospheric pollution control can be evaluated in terms of their effects for amplifying or reducing climate change impacts.

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