Warming World: Tools to help broadcasters discuss a
changing climate (256)
Sean Sublette, Climate
Central, Princeton, New Jersey
Bernadette Placky, Climate
Central
Abstract:
The last four years have been
the warmest in the global record. Heavy rain events and coastal flooding are
also on the rise. Increasingly, the public has questions and concerns about
climate change. According to a Yale and George Mason University survey, 58% of
Americans are convinced climate change is happening and caused by human
activities, while 30% believe the causes are natural. The statistics are not
uniform across all segments of American society, as 78% of Latinos are worried
about climate change. As broadcast meteorologists are among the few scientists
the public interact with, they are in a unique position to communicate the
science to the general public. Our 60-minute session consists of three core
parts. First, a climate scientist will address the current state of climate
science. Second, a broadcast meteorologist will share experiences from
discussing the topic on the air and on social media. Finally, we will include
communication strategies for the broadcast meteorologist to use when answering
viewer questions, as volume of these questions often spike during periods of
high impact weather.