Key note address as part of the Canadian Nuclear Association's "Power for a Cooler Climate" conference held in Ottawa Feb 25-27. https://cna.ca/2015-conference/program/

1. Engaging the Public on Climate Change
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Matthew C. Nisbet
Associate Professor
Northeastern University

2. Telling Stories about a Super Wicked Problem
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3. Framing Judgments and Decisions:
Environmental and Regulatory Problem?
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4. Framing Judgments and Decisions:
Energy Innovation & Resilience Problem?
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5. Audience Segmentation and Public Perceptions
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6. In Depth Interviews w/ 70 subjects by Segment
@MCNisbetMaibach, E., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2010). BMC Public Health 10: 299.

7. Segment 4-6:
Sentence Specific Reaction to Essay
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-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 B1 B2 B3 B4 C1 C2
DISENGAGED DOUBTFUL
DISMISSIVE POPULATION
Maibach, E., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2010). BMC Public Health 10: 299.

8. Provoking Anger Across Audience Segments:
Identifying Boomerang Effects
@MCNisbetMyers, T., Nisbet, M.C., Maibach, E.W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2012). Climatic Change.

9. Energy Resilience and Climate Disruption
Warmer, Wetter Future with More Extremes
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10. Engaging A Broader Public Via Energy Resilience
@MCNisbetSources: MA Dept of Energy Resources; Boston Globe
* Natural gas provides 70% of MA electricity and heats nearly half the
homes. Approximately 30% of homes heated with oil.

11. Will Oil Prices Triple in Next Five Years?
@MCNisbetNisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.

12. Oil Price Spikes and Risk to Economy?
@MCNisbetNisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.

13. Oil Price Spikes and Risk to Public Health?
@MCNisbetNisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz (2011). American Journal of Public Health.

14. Framing Drives Elite Decisions
The Design to Win Report (2007)
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o “A cap on carbon output—and an accompanying
market for emissions permits—will prompt a sea
change that washes over the entire global economy.”
o “The good news is that we already have the technology
and know-how to achieve these carbon reductions—
often at a cost savings.”
o “Climate change, unlike a lot of large-scale problems, is
actually one that is solvable. It is also one where we
know what we need to do. We have the best data in the
world on how to prevent climate change. Everything
was ranked by magnitude, location and sector. It’s a
systematic approach to problem solving.” – Hal Harvey,
NY Times profile

17. Who Is a Public Intellectual?
@MCNisbetNisbet 2014
o 1) Write for and engage a broader public on matters of
popular concern, rather than narrowly targeting an expert
audience and emphasizing the more technical details of a
debate.
o 2) Specialize in the synthesis of complex, interdisciplinary
areas of research, engaging in deductive analysis across
cases and events, “working from the top down,” drawing
connections, making inferences, and offering judgments.
o 3) Argue on behalf of causes and policies, serving in the
role of social critic, advocate, or activist.

18. Public Intellectuals and Wicked Problems:
Creating a Common Language and Outlook
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o Promote a common storyline about climate change, defining who or
what is to blame, what should be done, and what action would mean for
the future.
o Discourses informally guide the decisions of advocates, funders,
journalists, and governmental officials.
o Define which experts or views might be mainstream versus what
might be contrarian or out of bounds.
o Once assumptions and authorities established, “costly in terms of
human mental labor to re-examine what has finally come to be
taken for granted.”
o Other public intellectuals are needed to “disturb the canonical peace”
and “defamiliarize the obvious” by identifying the flaws in
conventional wisdom and by offering alternative renderings of a
problem.

20. Building a Climate Justice Movement
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“Our economic model is at war with life on
Earth. We can’t change the laws of nature,
but we can change our growth economy.
And that’s why climate change is not just a
disaster, it’s also our best chance to
demand and build a better world.”

22. A New Model for Climate Advocacy:
Diversifying Policy and Technology Options
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Kahan et al 2007
Pielke 2007

23. Investing in Disruptive Ideas & Coalitions
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24. Further Reading
www.climateshiftproject.org/studies
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