Climate Change: Why dire climate warnings boost scepticism

By Juliette and Pratheep

“Gaby argues that the fund's videos do effectively target the people that they are trying to reach”

Society question Do they really effectively target the “people that they are trying to reach”? Who are these people?

Science question How did he collect the data for this statement?

First Question: Society and Science

First Question: Society and Science

Society: people who could be targeted are those who did not know much about the situation going on; other people that knew more or less the situation would just be pushed to act more .

Science: He collected this data through a set of surveys and observing the reactions to the movies he showed.

Possible Answers

“…presenting children as the main victims of climate change, a common feature of warning messages, might be viewed as unfair because children have not caused global warming”

Ex. “The first showed a train speeding towards a small girl as a metaphor for the impending catastrophe that awaits the world's children. The second showed anxious children verbally simulating a clock ticking while describing the climate devastation that is coming.

Second Question: Society

Society values of people? Children used as representations for climate change is not new. Effectiveness? Is it morally right to use them?

Second Question: Society

Possible Answers Society: Children have been used in other

ads as a way to get the attention of the people,; depending on the values of said people, they will either want to act and do something for the children or are completely unfazed by them

“the apocalyptic descriptions of global warming's possible consequences, might threaten people's natural tendency to believe that the world is a fundamentally fair and stable place.”

Science what are some apocalyptic descriptions?

Science effectiveness? Too farfetched? Scepticism ? Concern?

Third Question: Society and Science

Science: positive feedback that could arise from warming results

from melting ice and is known as the ice-reflectivity feedback. If temperatures warm near the Arctic, sea ice would likely melt. Because seawater is not as reflective as ice, the loss of ice would result in additional warming.

negative feedback that could arise from warming is an increase in low clouds from increased evaporation (which warming promotes). The addition of low and/or thick clouds (e.g. stratus, cumulonimbus clouds) would tend to cool the climate (by reflecting sunlight) – decreasing the warming.

Society: Reactions: 1. Deny it 2. Fight it 3. Dilute it 4. Delay it 5. Do it 6. Market it

Possible Answers

Third Question: Society and Science

Conclusion Use this slide merely as conclusion to the presentation. Restating the three questions that were raised and analyzed during the course of the presentation.

Use of videos an effective way to reach the target demographic and how reliable, accurate, and bias these videos are. How can viewer judge appropriately what is being presented to them?The use of children as messengers in cads to raise awareness. What alternatives exist that do not necessarily exploit any groups?The effectiveness of scientific facts. How can we ensure that scientific data is presented to the general public in an unbiased and subjective yet effective way? Since science, by nature, is always subject to controversy; is it the best way to raise awareness and spread info??