Creating a Climate for Change
Communicating Climate Change and Facilitating Social Change

Comprehensive look communicating climate change for researchers and professionals in environmental policy and science communication.

Susanne C. Moser (Edited by), Lisa Dilling (Edited by)

9780521049924, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 December 2007

576 pages, 14 b/w illus.
24.4 x 17 x 3 cm, 0.91 kg

'… Susan Moser and Lisa Dilling, the two editors of this book, deserve great praise for bringing together a maze of perspectives on communicating climate change into a genuinely insightful and fascinating read. … their approach of keeping chapters fairly short and insisting on plain English makes the book accessible and encourages readers to browse through parts of the book that are of particular interest. … As a cover-to-cover read or as a selective reference, this book provides a valuable resource for students, scholars and policy-makers with an interest in the complexities of climate change communication and social change.' Area

The need for effective communication, public outreach and education to increase support for policy, collective action and behaviour change is ever present, and is perhaps most pressing in the context of anthropogenic climate change. This book is the first to take a comprehensive look at communication and social change specifically targeted to climate change. It is a unique collection of ideas examining the challenges associated with communicating climate change in order to facilitate societal response. It offers well-founded, practical suggestions on how to communicate climate change and how to approach related social change more effectively. The contributors of this book come from a diverse range of backgrounds, from government and academia to non-governmental and civic sectors of society. The book is accessibly written, and any specialized terminology is explained. It will be of great interest to academic researchers and professionals in climate change, environmental policy, science communication, psychology, sociology and geography.

Preface Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling
Foreword Robert W. Kates
List of contributors
List of tables
List of figures
List of text boxes
Introduction
Part I. Communicating Climate Change: 1. Weather or climate change? Ann Bostrom and Daniel Lashof
2. Communicating the risks of global warming: American risk perceptions, affective images and interpretive communities Anthony Leiserowitz
3. More bad news: the risk of neglecting emotional responses to climate change information Susanne C. Moser
4. Public scares: changing the issue culture Sheldon Ungar
5. The challenge of trying to make a difference using media messages Sharon Dunwoody
6. Listening to the audience: San Diego hones its communication strategy by soliciting residents' views Linda Giannelli Pratt and Sarah Rabkin
7. The climate-justice link: communicating with low-income and minority audiences Julian Agyeman, Bob Doppelt, Kathy Lynn and Halida Hatic
8. Postcards from the (not so) frozen North: talking about climate change in Alaska Shannon McNeeley and Orville Huntington
9. Climate change: a moral issue The Rev. Sally Bingham
10. Einstein, Roosevelt, and the atomic bomb: lessons learned for scientists communicating climate change Lucy Warner
11. Across the great divide: supporting scientists as effective messengers in the public sphere Nancy Cole with Susan Watrous
12. Dealing with climate change contrarians Aaron M. McCright
13. A role for dialogue in communication about climate change Kathleen Regan
14. Information is not enough Caron Chess and Branden B. Johnson
Part II. Facilitating Social Change: 15. Stuck in the slow lane of behavior change? A not-so-superhuman perspective on getting out of our cars John Tribbia
16. Consumption behavior and narratives about the good life Laurie Michaelis
17. Educating for 'intelligent environmental action' in an age of global warming Tina Grotzer and Rebecca Lincoln
18. Education for global responsibility Mary Catherine Bateson
19. Changing the world one household at a time: Portland's 30-day program to lose 5,000 pounds Sarah Rabkin and David Gershon
20. Changing organizational ethics and practices toward climate and environment Keith James, April Smith and Bob Doppelt
21. Change in the marketplace: business leadership and communication Vicki Arroyo and Benjamin Preston
22. The market as messenger: sending the right signals John Atcheson
23. Making it easy: establishing energy efficiency and renewable energy as routine best practices Lisa Dilling and Barbara Farhar
24. Forming networks, enabling leaders, financing action: the Cities for Climate Change ProtectionTM campaign Abby Young
25. Ending the piecemeal approach: Santa Monica's comprehensive plan for sustainability Susan Watrous and Natasha Fraley
26. States leading the way on climate change action: the view from the Northeast Abbey Tennis
27. West Coast Governors' Global Warming Initiative: using regional partnerships to coordinate climate action Pierre duVair, Sam Sadler, Anthony Usibelli and Susan Anderson
28. Building social movements David S. Meyer
29. Climate litigation: shaping public policy and stimulating debate Marilyn Averill
30. The moral and political challenges of climate change Dale Jamieson
Part III. Creating a Climate for Change: 31. An ongoing dialogue on climate change: The Boulder Manifesto Robert Harriss
32. Toward the social tipping point: creating a climate change Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling
About the authors
Index.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ], Social impact of environmental issues [RNT], The environment [RN], Meteorology & climatology [RBP], Sociology & anthropology [JH]