Month: September 2021

Communicating Climate Risk

Save the date: 1 October, 12:30-17:00

Register here.

Communicating Climate Risk workshop

If the goal of climate communication is to compel decision-makers to act, then for too long our methods haven’t worked. Many desperately want to tackle the risks posed by climate change, but are confounded by mountains of complex, technical data. 

So how can academics present climate risk in ways that are meaningful and effective for this audience?  How can they ensure communication is part of their thinking from the outset, not just at the end of a research project? Who exactly are the end-users of climate risk research, and what are their needs? 

This online afternoon workshop will be jointly delivered by UCL’s Climate Action Unit and the Analysis under Uncertainty for Decision-Makers network (AU4DM). We will draw on interdisciplinary expertise to equip participants with the critical skills to communicate on climate risk. 

Speakers will share insights across three broad topics: why risk communication is difficult, what decision-makers want (and need), and how to present climate risk information. A final, fourth session will invite participants to co-design communication tools for the future. 

We need the big stories, the stories that engage and inspire. 

At the same time, we also need tools to present more niche information. 

And throughout, we also need to be always conscious of the politics of climate chance communication: the ways our communications shape whose voices are heard, and whose decisions count.

Speakers and facilitators:

  • Martine Barons (Warwick)
  • Mark Workman (Imperial)
  • Polina Levontin (Imperial)
  • Jo Lindsay Walton (Sussex)
  • Freya Roberts (UCL)
  • Kris de Meyer (UCL)
  • Lucy Hubble Rose (UCL)

This is an open workshop that will be especially relevant to climate and environmental scientists, and others whose work involves communicating or relying on scientific knowledge about climate and the environment. It is part of the COP26 Universities Network’s climate risk conference.