Colloquium
Lost
in Translation: Solving the Science-Society Disconnect in Climate
Change (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Liberal
Arts-Physics Degree)
Dr. Jess Whitehead
Regional Climate Extension Specialist
SC Sea Grant Consortium/NC Sea Grant
Thursday, October 9,
2008, 12:15
p.m.,
SCIC 126
Although
there is overwhelming scientific consensus that humans are contributing
to climate change, a significant portion of the public either does not
believe or is skeptical that global warming exists. A significant
contributor to this problem is that scientists and stakeholders speak
very different languages. Early career scientists are in
excellent positions to train themselves to bridge this divide.
After discussing the disconnect between climate science and climate
policy as an example of the need for scientists to become more
effective communicators, I will describe one local approach to
translating climate science into decision-relevant information for the
general public. The Regional Coastal Climate Change Initiative, a
NOAA-funded effort by the South Carolina Sea Grant, North Carolina Sea
Grant, and the Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessment (CISA)
center at the University of South Carolina, uses both physical and
social science to connect regional climate research with local
decision-making. I will explain the state of our knowledge of
climate change impacts along the Carolina coasts, the gaps in local
decision-making that climate information can help to fill, and the role
of a climate extension specialist, who serves as both a climate
scientist and an outreach resource. Throughout my talk, I will
discuss the lessons I learned on my journey from being a physics major
at the College of Charleston to becoming a climate extension specialist
– and why getting my physics degree from a liberal arts
institution turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever
made.
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