Engaging Communities in Climate Conversations Workshop

Target Audience:

Scientists and engineers who wish to develop their public engagement and science communication skills, enabling them to establish meaningful dialogue with diverse audiences.

Summary and Objectives:

The Engaging Communities in Climate Conversations module guides scientists through the fundamentals of engaging in conversations about climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change , with a focus on impacts and solutions. Participants consider the American public's attitudes and concerns about climate change and response options, develop actionable goals for engaging around these topics, think carefully about their target audience, and craft science and solution-minded messages that will resonate with that audience. Participants analyze real-world examples of communities responding to climate change and consider how to cultivate similar conversations in their own engagement work.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Assess how the American public views climate change science and solutions.
• Develop an individual goal for engaging the public on the topics of climate change and responses.
• Identify a target audience and consider how climate change impacts and responses align with the audience's concerns and interests.
• Draft key messages that will resonate with their audience.
• Plan for solutions-oriented engagement scenarios.