The Christian Science Monitor addresses what they call the “communications gap between scientists and the public,” in their article As Climate Change debate wages on, scientists turn to Hollywood for help yesterday. One paragraph in the article caught my eye.
Today’s climate story is often framed as a sober warning, not as an exciting adventure. Some of that is by necessity. “It’s important for the public to know that scientists are coming across this evidence [of climate change] – it’s real evidence – that there may be some disagreements among the details but that doesn’t negate the entire picture,” Semper says. But the effort to better understanding earth’s climate is also exciting, a message that has been lost, he says. “The scientific questions are absolutely fascinating.”
In the field of K-12 climate education it is has become widely recognized that the best way to engage students in a conversation on climate change is through positive, solutions based curriculum and activities. Highlighting adventures, solutions, and the fascinating and varied nature of climate science is ideally the norm. Why should it be different when engaging adults?