1. Communicating climate change: science, risk,
attitudes & behaviour
Adam Corner
School of Psychology, Cardiff University
Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN)

2. What is climate change
communication?
1. Clearer presentation of the science/impacts of
climate change?
>>>scientists, fact-based engagement
2. Public engagement (attitudes, behaviours) with
climate change as a societal risk?
>>>social scientists, value-based engagement

3. Knowledge about climate change
• General scientific literacy? Not really (Kahan et
al, 2012)
• Knowledge about climate science specifically? To
some extent (Tobler et al, 2012)
• But perceptions of climate change are not
primarily driven by knowledge about the
subject

4. What predicts views about climate
change?
• Demographics – gender, race & age (McCright &
Dunlap, 2011)
• Political ideology – (Lewandowsky, 2012)
• People filter the facts through their own prior
beliefs (Corner et al, 2011)
• The weather…the recession… ‘elite’
cues from politicians etc

5. Specific challenges for
communicating climate science
• Uncertainty equated with ignorance – re-frame
as ‘risk’? (Pidgeon & Fischoff, 2011)
• ‘Psychological distance’ between the risk and the
individual (Spence et al, 2011)
• Extreme weather events – a paradox for
communication about climate change

6. What influences sustainable
behaviour?
• Not simply attitudes>>behaviour BUT don’t
discount them altogether
• Huge amount of behaviour (and cognition) is
habitual
• Single behaviours (and individuals) do not exist
in a vacuum (Corner & Randall, 2011)

7. Values for sustainable behaviour
Schwartz (1992)

8. Social norms

9. Fear and guilt
• Messages based on fear/threats are only
effective if the threat is personal, direct and can
be mitigated…
• Smoking >> lung cancer = yes
• Climate change >> sustainable behaviour = no
(Hoog, Stroebe & de Wit, 2005)

10. Communicating CC impacts on
health
• US research: Public health frame of CC produces
stronger emotional reaction, possibly better for
Republicans (pollution/poor health)
• Disentangling CC >> health relationship
analogous to weather >> climate?
• Values for sustainability = values for
health?