How to talk to someone who disagrees with you about

climate change

CLIMATE CHANGE

1. Establish Common Ground.

2. Treat them with Respect

4. Describe Your Own Personal Journey

5. Be aware their worldviews.

3. Hold your Agency’s views.

6. Offer Rewards.

1. Establish Common Ground

2. Treat them with respect.

DO NOT USE THE TERM “DENIER”

• Use instead “those who disagree”• “Dissenter”• “Doubtful” or “Dismissive.”

3. Hold your Agency’s Views

Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service

“ I believe climate change is fundamentally the greatest threat to the integrity of our national parks that we have ever experienced. The current science confirmsthe planet is warming and the effects are here and now. This is a high priority issuefor the current administration, including the Department of Interior and its individual bureaus (such as) the National Park Service.”

Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service

“We helped the public understand the essential role of predators In the environment by bringing back the wolf…

“…We have shown that fire is essential to ecosystem health…

…We are unafraid to discuss the role of slavery in the Civil War…

…or the imprisonment of American citizens of Japanese ethnicity during WWII…

…We should not be afraid to talk about climate change.”

4. Describe Your Own Personal Journey

There is way too much carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere. We have got to solve climate change!

5. Appeal to their worldview

TOO EXPENSIVE!!!

•Believes in natural causes. •High Biblical literalism. •Strong individualistic values. •Specialized news media diet, with preference for sources that reflect his own point of view.

•Unlikely to change his beliefs about climate change, BUT WILLING TO REDUCE ENERGY USE TO SAVE MONEY.

6. Offer Rewards

MAKING CHANGES TO REDUCE YOUR HOME ENERGY COSTS IS $GREEN$.

To Save Energy, Utilities Tap into Our Competitive InstinctsPublished: May 12th, 2011

By Nicole Heller

www.climatecentral.org

COMPARED TO NEIGHBORSGREAT

GOODAVERAGE

ranked as the 23rd most energy efficient household.

Savings of $50 a month or $600 a year!

1. Establish Common Ground.

2. Treat them with Respect

4. Describe Your Own Personal Journey

5. Be aware of their worldviews.

3. Own and Hold your views.

6. Offer Rewards.

Changing the Conversation about Climate Change

Jessica Thompson, PhDColorado State University

What doesn’t work…Fear Appeals

Doomsday Prophecies

Arbitrarily Balanced Positions

Technical & Scientific Language

Predictions Couched in Uncertainty

References to Animals & People Far Away

10 Key Strategies for Creating Messages about Climate Change:

10. Know your audience.

9. Know what type of claim you're asserting.

8. Connect to cultural values & beliefs.

7. Make the message meaningful.

6. Lead with your strongest argument.

Schweizer, Thompson, Teel & Bruyere, Science Communication, 2009

10 Key Strategies for Creating Messages about Climate Change:

5. Make the message empowering.

4. Link global patterns to local action.

3. Partner with other organizations.

2. Start from the inside – to inspire action.

1. Communicate about ACTIONS!Schweizer, Thompson, Teel & Bruyere, Science Communication, 2009

Preliminary ResultsIdeas for Engagement Strategy

Top Actions to Promote: “We Want The Audience To…”

• #1 – Know that they can make a difference

• #2 – Understand local examples and have a connection to place

• #3 – Appreciate that they don’t need to know everything to start taking action!

• #4 – Take responsibility for everything from understanding the science to lifestyle

choices!

Preliminary ResultsIdeas for Engagement Strategy

Top Themes for Effective Engagement

• #1 – Tell local, personal stories about our changing landscape

• #2 – Utilize new technology and social media

• #3 – Create a citizen science program

• #4 – Make connections to the economy, to our families, to patriotism; make it personally

relevant

• #5 – Create messages of hope!

Dr. Richard Alley

Dr. Kerry Emanual Dr. Barry Bickmore

Paul Douglas Dr. Katharine Hayhoe Former Rep. Bob Inglis