PCP Invited to Participate in Conference on Communication about Climate Change
The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO has invited the Public Conversations Project to participate in an interdisciplinary conference on climate change communication. Sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, the June conference seeks to: 1) take stock of what different disciplines know about climate change communication and identify connections among them; 2) foster communication across disciplinary lines to improve communication; and 3) develop a research and action agenda to enable people to act on what they know. Kathy Regan, PCP's Program Coordinator, will bring a dialogic perspective to a panel exploring the question: "How Can Climate Change Communication Be Improved?"
In advance of the meeting, Kathy has been interviewing two groups of people who are part of a complex communication equation: 1) specialists about their "speaking" role, including scientists, international lawyers, science writers, journalists and policy professionals; and 2) citizens, including congressional aides, students, facilitators and other non-scientists, about their role of "listening" and receiving information.
"The disconnects in the communications process have become clearer to me the more people I interview," Kathy reports. "The generosity and insights of everyone with whom I've spoken contribute substantively to the body of knowledge regarding communication about scientific and environmental questions. Dialogue holds possibilities for creating a shared sense of understanding among a wide range of people. I couldn't be more enthusiastic about unearthing opportunities for dialogue to shift communication both during and after the workshop."
To learn more about PCP and communication about the environment,
contact Kathy at (617) 923-1216 ext 15 or
.
