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Climate Science Under Attack: how can we change the narrative?
NO
AA
Dr Melanie Fitzpatrick, Climate Scientist
Jean Sideris, Outreach Coordinator
Union of Concerned Scientists27th April, 2010
Talk Outline
• Contrarians: 1990s to present• Manufacturing doubt• Recent events• Public opinion polls• Restoring scientific integrity• What you can do
Exposing the Campaign of Deception
• Oil and coal industry
• Junk science
• Manipulated media
• Orchestrated “astroturf”
Smoke, mirrors and hot airUCS report, 2007
• ExxonMobil, Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds• Manufactured uncertainty• Front groups
www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/exxon_report.pdf
Funding Disinformation
Fred SingerJohn Christy
Richard
Lindzen
David Legates
Sally Baliunas
Pat Michaels
Tim BallCraig Idso
Sherwood IdsoWillie Soon
www.exxonsecrets.org www.sourcewatch.org
The “blogosphere”
blog
noun : \blog, bläg\
Etymology: short for Weblog
Date: 1999
: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also : the contents of such a site
— blog·ger noun
— blog·ging noun
climateaufit.org
*-gate* Climate, Glacier, Amazon, Sea, Pachauri, etc
• Stolen emails from UEA
• Himalayan glaciers
• Amazon reference
• Netherlands sea level
• IPCC process review
• Lawsuit against EPAPhoto: Indutiomarus, Wikimedia Commons
Senator Inhofe’s Report
Released by Minority Senate Committee
February 23rd, 2010
Raymond Bradley Keith BriffaTimothy Carter Edward CookMalcolm Hughes Phil JonesThomas Karl Michael MannMichael Oppenheimer Jonathan OverpeckBenjamin Santer Gavin SchmidtStephen Schneider Susan SolomonPeter Stott Kevin TrenberthThomas Wigley
“In our view, the CRU documents and emails reveal, among other things, unethical and potentially illegal behavior by some of the world’s preeminent climate scientists.”
‘Consensus’ Exposed: The CRU Controversy
Photo: US Navy 050210-N-2383B-253
What the Public Believes
Global Warming’s Six Americas, January, 2010Leiserowitz, Maibach, Roser-Renouf
http://environment.yale.edu/uploads/SixAmericasJan2010.pdf
Scientists: Trusted Messengers
http://woods.stanford.edu/research/surveys.html
Maintaining Scientific Integrity• Lead with good science
• Demystify science
• Personalize science
• Be visible and approachable
Lizette Kabré/University Of Copenhagen
Communication Training
Main Message: Climate Scientists Agree!
Examining the Scientific Consensus on Climate ChangeDoran and Zimmerman, EOS Transactions, January, 2009
tigger.uic.edu/~pdoran/012009_Doran_final.pdf
What the Public Needs to Hear
• Global warming is real (scientists agree)
• Largely human-caused
• Impacts humans (not just other animals, “outside” ecosystems)
• Solutions exist
AscensionTechnology, Inc
Public understanding
PPM Energy
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2007
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010
Photo: NOAA
Profiles of Scientists
Photo by Brenda Ekwurzel
Photo: Regina Carns
Letters-to-the-Editor and Op-Eds
Debunking misinformation
www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/global_warming_contrarians
Weight of the Evidence
www.ucsusa.org/evidence
Useful Resources• UCS: www.ucsusa.org/evidence
• Real Climate: www.realclimate.org
• Skeptical Science: www.skepticalscience.org
• Peter Sinclair – Crock of the Week
• DeSmogBlog: www.desmogblog.org
For more information:[email protected]
Union of Concerned Scientistswww.ucsusa.org
What you can do!
For more information:Jean Sideris
• Share upcoming publications with us
• Build relationships between journalists and scientists
• Monitor your local media
• Submit op-eds, letters to the editor
• Participate in targeted press conferences
• Respond to online news articles (national, regional, local)
• Seek out and speak at local events
