How can we understand and communicate about contentious scientific issues?
Scientists are often puzzled when people resist ‘the facts’, thinking that the answer is to just find a clearer way to lay out their case. But issues like climate change demonstrate the limitations of this approach: despite overwhelming consensus amongst scientists about climate change, there are still sizeable proportions of people who do not accept anthropogenic climate change.
In this talk I will present empirical studies that develop and test ways to communicate about contentious environmental issues, specifically climate change and recycled water. I will also lay out a framework that seeks to understand why people resist science and talk about how this framework can inform communication about scientific issues.
Associate Professor Kelly Fielding is a social and environmental psychologist with a focus on developing effective communication to engage people with environmental issues. She takes an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to her research, leading large interdisciplinary projects (e.g., Program leader of the Society Program within the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities), collaborating with researchers from a range of disciplines (from economics to engineering), and working with state and local government agencies and external partners.
About Research Seminar and Workshop Series
School of Communication and Arts Research Seminar Series
The research seminar and workshop series occur each semester, each with a different topic and guest speaker from UQ or otherwise.
Friday, 4 August Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the | After the Future: Heat, Collapse, and Exhausting the “Future of Work” | Dr Luke Munn |
Friday, 25 August Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the | Promoting children’s environmental responsibility in the EFL classroom | Dr Valentina Adami |
Friday, 1 September Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the | Portraying Asian-diasporic identity beyond the limits of the literary label Asian-Australian | Catriona Arthy and Olivia De Zilva |
Friday, 8 September Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the | Exploring Digital Humanities through the Lens of Journalism: A Case Study of Reader Comment Analysis | Dr Lujain Shafeeq |
Friday, 15 September Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the | Carly-Jay Metcalfe and Bianca Millroy | |
Friday, 22 September Hybrid: Online via Zoom and in person at the | Coping with eco-anxiety: A guided journal trial | Dr Ans Vercammen and Dr Skye Doherty |