Ask an expert

Greetings all

For those interested in climate change, and in Canberra on Wed 27 Jan 2010 – there’s a ‘Climate Change: Ask an (technical!) expert’ public lecture at ANU. Could be good (technical) warm up for Hot Air?!

The forum is being held as a part of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS) 17th National Conference 27-29 January 2010; also at ANU. Details at http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=54428

Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, Manning Clark Centre, Union Court Date: Wednesday, 27 January 2010 Time: 7:45 PM – 9:30 PM Website: http://www.amos.org.au/2010conference Enquiries: Clem Davis on 6125 3632, ANU Events on 6125 4144

Regards

Clare

Clare Mullen Bureau of Meteorology (part-time: Mon+Tues+Wed) ph + 61 3 9669 4859 P Please consider the environment before printing

________________________________ From: asc-list-bounces@lists.asc.asn.au [mailto:asc-list-bounces@lists.asc.asn.au] On Behalf Of Jenni Metcalfe Sent: Monday, 21 December 2009 10:13 To: list@asc.asn.au Subject: [ASC-list] Climate change: Communicating science in a political minefield – Keynote plenary talk at ASC Conference, Tuesday 9 February 2010

Professor Will Steffen is just on his way back from Copenhagen and has much to share with science communicators at the Hot Air symposium to be held on Tuesday Feb 9 next year in Canberra. His presentation will be the keynote talk for Hot Air AND the plenary talk for the ASC conference that day. The draft abstract of his presentation is pasted below.

Register NOW for the ASC conference at www.asc.asn.au The early bird registration discount finish January 15.

Climate change: Communicating science in a political minefield

Will Steffen, Executive Director, ANU Climate Change Institute

“Without science, we are just building castles in the air” – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, COP15, Copenhagen, 16 December 2009

Science has played a crucial role – in fact, the essential role – in the development of anthropogenic climate change as an issue that has now gone beyond science, beyond the normal type of environmental issue, and has become a much broader societal issue. As climate change now reaches into the heart of contemporary society – core values, world perspectives, belief systems – it has become a political minefield. Thus, communicating the science of climate change has become far more complex than communicating the science itself – how the climate system works and how human activities are influencing the system. With respect to climate change, science communication is now operating in a wholly different arena than before.

How do we cope with this new situation? This presentation will explore the question by going back to some fundamental principles that underpin modern science. How is modern science different from other knowledge systems? How does science work and how does it guarantee quality? Why does the science of the climate change deniers fail compared to mainstream climate science? How can we best communicate this to a public that is challenged, confronted and frightened about the real implications of climate change? How can we convey this to mainstream media that have significantly misunderstood and misinterpreted what climate science is all about?

Jenni Metcalfe Director Econnect Communication PO Box 734 South Brisbane Q 4101 Australia www.econnect.com.au jenni@econnect.com.au phone: + 61 7 3846 7111, +0408 551 866 skype: jenni.metcalfe

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