This document discusses building a civic science culture to bridge the divide between policymakers and the public on issues related to science. It provides an overview of the current polarized political environment and issues like climate change. It then discusses best practices for science communication, such as identifying opinion leaders, diversifying policy options, framing conversations appropriately, investing in boundary organizations, and coordinating strategies on key issues. The goal is to promote more effective dialogue and decision-making on complex science-related challenges.
Testing the Levels of Message Effects and the Hierarchy Model of Responses wi...Qingjiang (Q. J.) Yao
This study, using a survey-experiment with a sample of 149 students randomly drawn from 102 US college campuses, testes the effects of four versions of a message about the new scientific issue of water-energy-food (WEF) nexus at the level of agenda, knowledge (frame), attitude, and behavioral intention. The study finds subjects’ attitude associated with subjects’ frame on one end and behavioral intention on the other end, and identifies some effects across the groups. The unclear position of subjects’ agenda in the hierarchy of responses that processes the nexus messages is also discussed.
Keywords: Water-Energy-Food Nexus, message effects, the hierarchy of responses
Testing the Levels of Message Effects and the Hierarchy Model of Responses wi...Qingjiang (Q. J.) Yao
This study, using a survey-experiment with a sample of 149 students randomly drawn from 102 US college campuses, testes the effects of four versions of a message about the new scientific issue of water-energy-food (WEF) nexus at the level of agenda, knowledge (frame), attitude, and behavioral intention. The study finds subjects’ attitude associated with subjects’ frame on one end and behavioral intention on the other end, and identifies some effects across the groups. The unclear position of subjects’ agenda in the hierarchy of responses that processes the nexus messages is also discussed.
Keywords: Water-Energy-Food Nexus, message effects, the hierarchy of responses
And Then the Internet Happened Prospective Thoughts about Concept Mapping in ...Daniel McLinden
In this millennium the worldwide web has enabled new models of collaboration and the power of networks to emerge. In the second decade of the new millennium these ideas continue to spread. Cross-disciplinary teams, open innovation and social networks represent radically different approaches to working in systems to create knowledge, share information and develop interventions. Think Wikipedia. Methods for program planning and evaluation need to keep pace with these changes and concept mapping methodology may have been ahead of its time as a method that resonates with 21st century complexity. To think prospectively, reframe concept mapping as a method that employs open innovation and networks to create meaning about complex phenomena. With this basis, the future possibilities for the types of problems that can be addressed and ways to co-create meaning with diverse stakeholders can be explored.
And Then the Internet Happened Prospective Thoughts about Concept Mapping in ...Daniel McLinden
In this millennium the worldwide web has enabled new models of collaboration and the power of networks to emerge. In the second decade of the new millennium these ideas continue to spread. Cross-disciplinary teams, open innovation and social networks represent radically different approaches to working in systems to create knowledge, share information and develop interventions. Think Wikipedia. Methods for program planning and evaluation need to keep pace with these changes and concept mapping methodology may have been ahead of its time as a method that resonates with 21st century complexity. To think prospectively, this session will reframe concept mapping as a method that employs open innovation and networks to create meaning about complex phenomena. With this basis, this session will explore through presentation and discussion the future possibilities for the types of problems that can be addressed and ways to co-create meaning with diverse stakeholders.
However important improved public understanding of science might be, it is only part of the picture of how society reacts to new developments in science and technology, especially when controversy breaks out. Extensive research supports strong roles for values, beliefs and trust, arguably stronger factors in many cases than the role of science literacy by itself.
Slides from a 2017 presentation to the Science Policy Fellows program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C. For more see: https://mattnisbet.substack.com/p/building-a-civic-science-culture
Day1 Civic Science Lab: Experts in the Policymaking Process & Models of Scien...Matthew Nisbet
http://climateshiftproject.org/civic-science-lab-day-1/
In the morning session, we will spend time discussing how science and expert advice is used in the policy process; and the different roles that scientists and their organizations can and should play. We will also discuss how scientists generally tend to view the public, the media and the political process and how these assumptions might influence their participation in public life.
In the afternoon session, we will move to discussing the factors that influence public understanding, judgements and decisions. This research has informed different approaches to public outreach, education and communication. For each approach, we will draw on examples relevant to issues and topics that you work on or care deeply about.
Lectures: Scientists & Advocacy / Models of Science CommunicationMatthew Nisbet
Slides from class lectures and discussion in the American University course COM 589: "Communication, Culture and the Environment," Spring 2014.
http://climateshiftproject.org/com-589-communication-culture-and-the-environment-spring-2014/
Sept 24 Talk @Tufts University: Public Intellectuals in the Climate Change De...Matthew Nisbet
Disruptive Ideas: Public Intellectuals and their Arguments for Action on Climate Change
September 24, 2015 12:00-1:00pm | Rabb Room, Lincoln Filene Center
Map: http://campusmaps.tufts.edu/medford/#fid=m015
Live Stream: Bit.ly/LiveLunchLearn
In this presentation, Dr. Nisbet will discuss his research analyzing the role that prominent public intellectuals like Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein, Jeffrey Sachs, Tom Friedman, and Andrew Revkin play in shaping debate over climate change. He will detail how public intellectuals establish their authority, spread their ideas, and shape political discourse, assessing the contrasting stories that they tell about the causes and solutions to climate change and related environmental problems.He will propose methods for building on his analysis and urge the need for forums that feature a diversity of voices, discourses, and ideas.
Matthew C. Nisbet is Associate Professor ofCommunication, Public Policy & Urban Affairs atNortheastern University. He is Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication,“The Age of Us” columnist at The Conversation, a consulting researcher to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National AcademiesRoundtable Committee on Public Interfaces in the LifeSciences. Nisbet studies the role of communication, media,and public opinion in debates over science, technology, and the environment. The author of more than 70 peer-reviewed studies, scholarly book chapters, and reports, he teaches courses in Environmental and Risk Communication, PoliticalCommunication, and Strategic Communication.
Among awards and recognition, he has been a Shorenstein Fellow on Media, Policy, and Politics atHarvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation HealthPolicy Investigator, and a Google Science Communication Fellow. The editors at the journalNature have recommended Nisbet’s research as “essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate,” and the New Republic has highlighted his work as a“fascinating dissection of the shortcomings of climate activism.” Nisbet holds a Ph.D. and M.S. inCommunication from Cornell University and a BA in Government from Dartmouth College.
More information: http://as.tufts.edu/environmentalStudies/documents/lunchLearnFall2015.pdf#page=4
Lecture: Values, Worldviews and Interpretative Communities Related to Climate...Matthew Nisbet
Lecture slides from course on Environmental and Risk Communication at Northeastern University. For more see syllabus:
http://climateshiftproject.org/envriskcomm/
Biotech Communications Workshop for Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Triangle biotech professionals
Presented by Jason Delborne, GES Center, NC State University, jadelbor@ncsu.edu
Monday, 10/2/2017 (day 1)
Twenty Years of Evolving Models of Science CommunicationMatthew Nisbet
Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson have come to symbolize the dominant "popularization" approach to science communication, a model that has been embraced with renewed enthusiasm among young scientists as they have experimented with and developed a variety of digital and social media tools. Yet this dominant approach to science communication is not without several key imitations, pitfalls and trade-offs.
In a March 29, 2014 talk as part of the "Sharing Science" conference held at the University of British Columbia, I reviewed major areas of research, analysis and debate relevant to twenty years of evolving models and approaches to science communication. At the link below you find related readings and studies on each of the models reviewed.
http://climateshiftproject.org/2014/03/28/university-of-british-columbia-sharing-science-conference-twenty-years-of-evolving-models-of-science-communication/
And Then the Internet Happened Prospective Thoughts about Concept Mapping in ...Daniel McLinden
In this millennium the worldwide web has enabled new models of collaboration and the power of networks to emerge. In the second decade of the new millennium these ideas continue to spread. Cross-disciplinary teams, open innovation and social networks represent radically different approaches to working in systems to create knowledge, share information and develop interventions. Think Wikipedia. Methods for program planning and evaluation need to keep pace with these changes and concept mapping methodology may have been ahead of its time as a method that resonates with 21st century complexity. To think prospectively, reframe concept mapping as a method that employs open innovation and networks to create meaning about complex phenomena. With this basis, the future possibilities for the types of problems that can be addressed and ways to co-create meaning with diverse stakeholders can be explored.
And Then the Internet Happened Prospective Thoughts about Concept Mapping in ...Daniel McLinden
In this millennium the worldwide web has enabled new models of collaboration and the power of networks to emerge. In the second decade of the new millennium these ideas continue to spread. Cross-disciplinary teams, open innovation and social networks represent radically different approaches to working in systems to create knowledge, share information and develop interventions. Think Wikipedia. Methods for program planning and evaluation need to keep pace with these changes and concept mapping methodology may have been ahead of its time as a method that resonates with 21st century complexity. To think prospectively, this session will reframe concept mapping as a method that employs open innovation and networks to create meaning about complex phenomena. With this basis, this session will explore through presentation and discussion the future possibilities for the types of problems that can be addressed and ways to co-create meaning with diverse stakeholders.
However important improved public understanding of science might be, it is only part of the picture of how society reacts to new developments in science and technology, especially when controversy breaks out. Extensive research supports strong roles for values, beliefs and trust, arguably stronger factors in many cases than the role of science literacy by itself.
Slides from a 2017 presentation to the Science Policy Fellows program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C. For more see: https://mattnisbet.substack.com/p/building-a-civic-science-culture
Day1 Civic Science Lab: Experts in the Policymaking Process & Models of Scien...Matthew Nisbet
http://climateshiftproject.org/civic-science-lab-day-1/
In the morning session, we will spend time discussing how science and expert advice is used in the policy process; and the different roles that scientists and their organizations can and should play. We will also discuss how scientists generally tend to view the public, the media and the political process and how these assumptions might influence their participation in public life.
In the afternoon session, we will move to discussing the factors that influence public understanding, judgements and decisions. This research has informed different approaches to public outreach, education and communication. For each approach, we will draw on examples relevant to issues and topics that you work on or care deeply about.
Lectures: Scientists & Advocacy / Models of Science CommunicationMatthew Nisbet
Slides from class lectures and discussion in the American University course COM 589: "Communication, Culture and the Environment," Spring 2014.
http://climateshiftproject.org/com-589-communication-culture-and-the-environment-spring-2014/
Sept 24 Talk @Tufts University: Public Intellectuals in the Climate Change De...Matthew Nisbet
Disruptive Ideas: Public Intellectuals and their Arguments for Action on Climate Change
September 24, 2015 12:00-1:00pm | Rabb Room, Lincoln Filene Center
Map: http://campusmaps.tufts.edu/medford/#fid=m015
Live Stream: Bit.ly/LiveLunchLearn
In this presentation, Dr. Nisbet will discuss his research analyzing the role that prominent public intellectuals like Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein, Jeffrey Sachs, Tom Friedman, and Andrew Revkin play in shaping debate over climate change. He will detail how public intellectuals establish their authority, spread their ideas, and shape political discourse, assessing the contrasting stories that they tell about the causes and solutions to climate change and related environmental problems.He will propose methods for building on his analysis and urge the need for forums that feature a diversity of voices, discourses, and ideas.
Matthew C. Nisbet is Associate Professor ofCommunication, Public Policy & Urban Affairs atNortheastern University. He is Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication,“The Age of Us” columnist at The Conversation, a consulting researcher to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National AcademiesRoundtable Committee on Public Interfaces in the LifeSciences. Nisbet studies the role of communication, media,and public opinion in debates over science, technology, and the environment. The author of more than 70 peer-reviewed studies, scholarly book chapters, and reports, he teaches courses in Environmental and Risk Communication, PoliticalCommunication, and Strategic Communication.
Among awards and recognition, he has been a Shorenstein Fellow on Media, Policy, and Politics atHarvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation HealthPolicy Investigator, and a Google Science Communication Fellow. The editors at the journalNature have recommended Nisbet’s research as “essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate,” and the New Republic has highlighted his work as a“fascinating dissection of the shortcomings of climate activism.” Nisbet holds a Ph.D. and M.S. inCommunication from Cornell University and a BA in Government from Dartmouth College.
More information: http://as.tufts.edu/environmentalStudies/documents/lunchLearnFall2015.pdf#page=4
Lecture: Values, Worldviews and Interpretative Communities Related to Climate...Matthew Nisbet
Lecture slides from course on Environmental and Risk Communication at Northeastern University. For more see syllabus:
http://climateshiftproject.org/envriskcomm/
Biotech Communications Workshop for Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Triangle biotech professionals
Presented by Jason Delborne, GES Center, NC State University, jadelbor@ncsu.edu
Monday, 10/2/2017 (day 1)
Twenty Years of Evolving Models of Science CommunicationMatthew Nisbet
Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson have come to symbolize the dominant "popularization" approach to science communication, a model that has been embraced with renewed enthusiasm among young scientists as they have experimented with and developed a variety of digital and social media tools. Yet this dominant approach to science communication is not without several key imitations, pitfalls and trade-offs.
In a March 29, 2014 talk as part of the "Sharing Science" conference held at the University of British Columbia, I reviewed major areas of research, analysis and debate relevant to twenty years of evolving models and approaches to science communication. At the link below you find related readings and studies on each of the models reviewed.
http://climateshiftproject.org/2014/03/28/university-of-british-columbia-sharing-science-conference-twenty-years-of-evolving-models-of-science-communication/
Draft slides for Dec. 8 presentation as part of the National Academies Roundtable on Public Interfaces in the Life Sciences. bit.ly/1fYaBTc #NASInterface
Climate Advocacy in the Obama Years: Assessing Strategies for Societal ChangeMatthew Nisbet
On September 25 at Boston University, as part of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute-sponsored series organized by BU climate researcher David Marchant, I will be giving the following lecture, drawing on insights from two forthcoming papers. Below are details on the talk followed by references and links to the papers.
Climate Advocacy in the Obama Years:
Assessing Strategies for Societal Change
Matthew C. Nisbet
Northeastern University
Sept 25 5pm-6pm
Boston University
Life Sciences Building, B-01
24 Cummington Mall
This lecture evaluates the contrasting political strategies, communication approaches, and policy options pursued by U.S. advocacy groups, philanthropists, and their allies as they urge societal action to address climate change. Though these often competing networks of groups accept the undeniable, human causes of climate change, they each tend to emphasize a unique discourse about the problem, reflecting diverging views of society, nature, technology, policy, and politics. By reflecting on these differences and their implications, we can usefully think through the many ways that our own biases shape how we perceive the political conflict over climate change, who we blame, and what we prefer to be done. The goal is not to choose among competing perspectives, but to constructively grapple with their tensions and uncertainties. Through this process, we can hold our own convictions and opinions more lightly, identifying what is of value among the ideas offered by those on the left, right, and in the center.
Nisbet, M.C. (in press). Disruptive Ideas: Public Intellectuals and their Arguments for Action on Climate Change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change.
http://climateshiftproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Nisbet_inpress_PublicIntellectualsClimateChange_WIREClimateChange.pdf
Nisbet, M.C. (in press). Environmental Advocacy in the Obama Years: Assessing New Strategies for Political Change. In N. Vig & M. Kraft (Eds), Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 9th Edition. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press.
http://climateshiftproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Nisbet_inpress_EnvironmentalAdvocacyObamaYears_CQPress1.pdf
Discover how, or if, public opinion influences science policy. What roles do learned societies and institutions take in raising the profile of certain issues, and when and where should they impact on science policy? This session will explore the inner workings of scientific public policy in the UK, especially in regards to the ways it affects allocation of resources.
Speakers: Jack Stilgoe (UCL), Becky Purvis (Royal Society), Chris Tyler (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) Chair: Roland Jackson (Sciencewise)
Tool : Opinion Space
Typical Actions : Opinion mapping software collect and visualise users opinions on important issues and polocies
(rate five proposition on the chosen topic and type initial response to a discussion question)
Show in a graphical "Map" where user's opinions of other participants.
Display patterns, trends, and insights employ the wisdom of crowds to identify the most insightful ideas.
Examples : Used by US state Depart to engage global online audiences on a variety of foreign policy issues.
Section 1: Tool Background
Who designed or developed the tool?
What is the purpose of the tool?
When was the tool designed or developed?
Where was the tool designed or developed?
Why was the tool designed or developed?
Section 2: Tool Specifications
Functional capabilities of the tool. (Key features of the tool)
Technical requirements for the tool.
How is/was the tool implemented?
Section 3: Tool Visualizations:
Find an illustration or work flow of the tool.
Describe the illustration or work flow of the tool.
Section 4: Tool Achievements/Limitations
Discuss the advantages of the tool.
Discuss the disadvantages of the tool.
Section 5: Based on research, does the tool achieve the original purpose of the creator/designer?
Discuss your findings
Your research paper should be at least 9 pages (2400 words), double-spaced, have at least 8 APA references, and typed in an easy-to-read font in MS Word (other word processors are fine to use but save it in a MS Word format). Your cover page should contain the following: Title, Team's name, University's name, Course name, Course number, Professor's name, and Date.
Tambouris, E., Liotas, N., & Tarabanis, K. (2007). A Framework for Assessing eParticipation Projects and Tools. 2007 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'07), Waikoloa, HI, 2007, pp. 90-90. doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2007.13
SURNAME 3
Climate Change
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
14th. September 2019
Academic Sources on Climate Change
Farrell, Justin. "Corporate funding and ideological polarization about climate change." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.1 (2016): 92-97.
Nerem, R. S., Beckley, B. D., Fasullo, J. T., Hamlington, B. D., Masters, D., & Mitchum, G. T. (2018). Climate-change–driven accelerated sea-level rise detected in the altimeter era. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(9), 2022-2025.
Fuzzi, S., Baltensperger, U., Carslaw, K., Decesari, S., Denier van der Gon, H., Facchini, M. C., ... & Nemitz, E. (2015). Particulate matter, air quality and climate: lessons learned and future needs. Atmospheric chemistry and physics, 15(14), 8217-8299.
Urry, John. “Climate change and society”. In Why the social sciences matter (pp. 45-59). Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2015 45-59.
Holland, G., & Bruyère, C. L. (2014). Recent intense hurricane response to global climate change. Climate Dynamics ...
How to grapple with science advice in ideological conflictsSciAdvice14
Heather Douglas of the Institute for Science, Society and Policy at the University of Ottawa on grappling with science advice in ideological conflicts.
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/
UNDERSTANDING WHAT GREEN WASHING IS!.pdfJulietMogola
Many companies today use green washing to lure the public into thinking they are conserving the environment but in real sense they are doing more harm. There have been such several cases from very big companies here in Kenya and also globally. This ranges from various sectors from manufacturing and goes to consumer products. Educating people on greenwashing will enable people to make better choices based on their analysis and not on what they see on marketing sites.
WRI’s brand new “Food Service Playbook for Promoting Sustainable Food Choices” gives food service operators the very latest strategies for creating dining environments that empower consumers to choose sustainable, plant-rich dishes. This research builds off our first guide for food service, now with industry experience and insights from nearly 350 academic trials.
Artificial Reefs by Kuddle Life Foundation - May 2024punit537210
Situated in Pondicherry, India, Kuddle Life Foundation is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to improving the living standards of coastal communities and simultaneously placing a strong emphasis on the protection of marine ecosystems.
One of the key areas we work in is Artificial Reefs. This presentation captures our journey so far and our learnings. We hope you get as excited about marine conservation and artificial reefs as we are.
Please visit our website: https://kuddlelife.org
Our Instagram channel:
@kuddlelifefoundation
Our Linkedin Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kuddlelifefoundation/
and write to us if you have any questions:
info@kuddlelife.org
Natural farming @ Dr. Siddhartha S. Jena.pptxsidjena70
A brief about organic farming/ Natural farming/ Zero budget natural farming/ Subash Palekar Natural farming which keeps us and environment safe and healthy. Next gen Agricultural practices of chemical free farming.
Characterization and the Kinetics of drying at the drying oven and with micro...Open Access Research Paper
The objective of this work is to contribute to valorization de Nephelium lappaceum by the characterization of kinetics of drying of seeds of Nephelium lappaceum. The seeds were dehydrated until a constant mass respectively in a drying oven and a microwawe oven. The temperatures and the powers of drying are respectively: 50, 60 and 70°C and 140, 280 and 420 W. The results show that the curves of drying of seeds of Nephelium lappaceum do not present a phase of constant kinetics. The coefficients of diffusion vary between 2.09.10-8 to 2.98. 10-8m-2/s in the interval of 50°C at 70°C and between 4.83×10-07 at 9.04×10-07 m-8/s for the powers going of 140 W with 420 W the relation between Arrhenius and a value of energy of activation of 16.49 kJ. mol-1 expressed the effect of the temperature on effective diffusivity.
"Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Processes, Human Impacts, and Strategies for...MMariSelvam4
The carbon cycle is a critical component of Earth's environmental system, governing the movement and transformation of carbon through various reservoirs, including the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms. This complex cycle involves several key processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and carbon sequestration, each contributing to the regulation of carbon levels on the planet.
Human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, have significantly altered the natural carbon cycle, leading to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and driving climate change. Understanding the intricacies of the carbon cycle is essential for assessing the impacts of these changes and developing effective mitigation strategies.
By studying the carbon cycle, scientists can identify carbon sources and sinks, measure carbon fluxes, and predict future trends. This knowledge is crucial for crafting policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing carbon storage, and promoting sustainable practices. The carbon cycle's interplay with climate systems, ecosystems, and human activities underscores its importance in maintaining a stable and healthy planet.
In-depth exploration of the carbon cycle reveals the delicate balance required to sustain life and the urgent need to address anthropogenic influences. Through research, education, and policy, we can work towards restoring equilibrium in the carbon cycle and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.
1. Building a Civic Science Culture:
Bridging the Policy/Public Divide
@MCNisbet
Matthew C. Nisbet
Associate Professor
Northeastern University
2. Political Polarization and Gridlock
@MCNisbetFrom Keith Poole’s Vote View blog
Sputnik – Apollo
NEPA
GH BUSH
3. LCV: Environmental Voting Scores
@MCNisbetDunlap, R. E., McCright, A. M., & Yarosh, J. H. (2016). The Political Divide on Climate Change: Partisan Polarization
Widens in the US. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 58(5), 4-23.
5. The Science Literacy Paradox:
Smart Partisans and Biased Opinions
@MCNisbet
Dan Kahan
Kahan, D. M., Peters, E., Wittlin, M., Slovic, P., Ouellette, L. L., Braman, D., & Mandel, G. (2012). The polarizing impact of
science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks. Nature Climate Change, 2(10), 732-735.
10. Selective Attention to Science and Society Debates
@MCNisbet
Nisbet, M.C. & Markowitz, E. (2015). Expertise in an Age of Polarization: Evaluating Scientists’ Political Awareness and Communication
Behaviors. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 658, 136-154..
12. Politicizing Perceptions of Ebola
@MCNisbet
Nisbet, M.C. & Markowitz, E. (2016, March). Americans’ Attitudes About Science and Technology:
The Social Context For Public Communication. AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute. Washington,
DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science.
13. Wicked Problems in a Runaway World
@MCNisbet
o Wicked problems like climate change, pandemics, and social
inequality span national borders and class distinctions,
disrupting entire economies, political systems, and ways of life.
o They are rooted in our own success as a modern society,
tangled up with industrialization, free trade, scientific advances,
global communications, and higher standards of living. They
have no single cause and no clear solution. Can only do
better or worse at managing over time.
o Yet our inability to effectively manage these transcendent
threats has created new sources of public doubt and anxiety,
eroding trust in government and expert authority, creating a
deep sense of social malaise.
Nisbet, M.C. (2014). Disruptive Ideas: Public Intellectuals and their Arguments for Action on
Climate Change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change, 5, 809–823..
14. Political Control in an Age of Post-Normal Science
@MCNisbet
o Controversies over climate change, food biotech, and nuclear
energy are debates over political control.
o Appeals to scientific authority obscure competing views of
nature, government, the market, justice, progress, autonomy
and community.
o Which values, interpretations, and worldviews matter and
who gets to decide?
o Focusing on the translation of scientific evidence often
fuels polarization, since such evidence is often sufficiently
tentative enough to indefinitely support the values-based
arguments of competing sides.
Nisbet, M.C. (2014). Engaging in Science Policy Controversies: Insights from the U.S. Debate Over Climate Change. Handbook of the Public Communication
of Science and Technology, 2nd Edition. London: Routledge (pp. 173-185).
23. 1. Dialogue, Networks, and Trust Matter
@MCNisbet
Social relationships,
networks, and
identities
Trust, credibility,
alienation relative to
science-related
institutions
The uptake
and
influence of
“expert”
science-
related
knowledge
Practical reason,
localized knowledge
Bryan Wynne
24. Common Criteria Used to Judge Expert Advice
@MCNisbet
1) Does expert knowledge work? Do predictions fail?
2) Do expert claims pay attention to other available
knowledge?
3) Are experts open to criticism? Admission of errors,
or oversights?
4) What are the social / institutional affiliations of
experts? Historical track record of
trustworthiness, affiliation with industry?
5) What issues overlap or connect to lay experience?
25. The Case of Floating Wind Turbines in Maine:
Common Questions Asked about the Project
@MCNisbet
1) Technical specifics related to the technology
2) How does this compare to Cape Wind? Who are the financial
backers? Who controls decisions?
3) What do Mainers get? What is Maine getting out of this? How
will this benefit Mainers? Will it raise cultural esteem and
status?
4) How many jobs will be created? How many will stay in Maine
and for how long? What are the benefits to our town?
5) How will this impact coastal lives and livelihoods? Will it
impact the fishing industry and coastal wildlife?
28. 2) Identify and Work with Opinion-Leaders
@MCNisbet
o Follow closely news and events related to science-
related issue or public affairs.
o Among peers, are trusted sources of information on
these topics & frequently share information.
o Are more politically active and more involved in their
communities.
o Early adopters of behaviors & technologies,
supporters of policies, and talk them up with others,
providing advice and recommendations.
Nisbet, M. C., & Kotcher, J. E. (2009). A two-step flow of influence? Opinion-leader campaigns on climate change.
Science Communication.
36. 3. Diversify Discourses & Policy Options:
Sustainability Problems as Wicked Problems
@MCNisbet
o The more complex a problem like climate change, the
more equally plausible discourses and narratives
exist about what should be done.
o Climate change serves as an opportunity for different
groups to mobilize on behalf of their values, goals
and vision for society.
o Climate change is “a synecdoche – a figurative turn of
phrase in which something stands in for something
else—for something much more important than simply
the way humans are changing the weather,” – Mike
Hulme
37. @MCNisbet
Nisbet, M. C. (2014). Disruptive ideas: public intellectuals and their arguments for action on climate
change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 5(6), 809-823.
39. Expanding the Conversation Beyond Renewables
@MCNisbet
Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Massachusetts Electricity Future.
40. Best Practices in Providing Expert Advice
@MCNisbet
o Be policy relevant, not policy prescriptive. Rather than arguing for
specific policy outcome, work to make sure that science is used in
reaching decision. Try to expand discussion of policy options and
solutions, rather than narrow them.
o Partner with other experts and stakeholders who can speak to
multiple dimensions of a science-related issue. Emphasize
consensus evidence endorsed by diversity of expert bodies or
groups.
o Openly talk about uncertainty and be transparent in how
uncertainty is resolved and conclusions reached. Emphasize
openness to scrutiny and correction by peers, journalists, and the
public.
Jamieson, K. H., & Hardy, B. W. (2014). Leveraging scientific credibility about Arctic sea ice trends in a polarized political
environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(Supplement 4), 13598-13605; Druckman, JN (2015).
Communicating Policy-Relevant Science. PS: Political Science & Politics , 48 (S1), 58-69.
48. 6. Coordinate Strategy on Breakthrough Issues
@MCNisbet
o On these issues, which strategies promote local and national
dialogue? What questions do the public and policymakers
have?
o Which opinion leaders make valuable partners and should be
the focus of engagement? How can social media be
leveraged?
o Can expert analysis and advice expand the menu of policy
options for addressing these issues?
o Which frames of reference and storylines convey relevance
and reduce motivated reasoning?
o What are the existing or needed boundary organizations?