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Newsletter November/December 2007 Communicating science in the social context This month we have invited CSIRO social scientist Peta Ashworth to share some of her insights on communicating about climate change using community conversations. Jenni and Mary head to the Philippines later this week to work with local landcare facilitators in writing a landcare handbook. Stay tuned for interesting stories about this adventure in our next newsletter. We wish you a safe and happy Christmas and end of year celebrations and we look forward to chatting some more in 2008.
Regards, Econnect Communication Jenni Metcalfe, Michelle Riedlinger, Mary O’Callaghan, Melanie McKenzie (in chilly Canada), Michelle Burton and Adriana Velez. |
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Linking biophysical science with social science By Jenni Metcalfe We’ve been working with the University of Queensland on an exciting project that aims to link social aspects with biophysical condition when assessing the health of rivers in Victoria. River health is a big issue around Australia, and Victoria leads the way with monitoring the biophysical condition. The state has developed an Index of Stream Condition to monitor the hydrology, streamside zone (vegetation), physical form (bed and bank condition and in-stream habitat) and aquatic life. Each of these sub-indices has management actions associated with it. And that’s where studying the social aspects of river health can be useful. If you know people’s likely involvement in management actions to protect or restore rivers, you’ll have a better idea of how well biophysical outcomes are being achieved. Our research came up with four categories of social indicators: 1. waterway use 2. knowledge and literacy about river health 3. aspirations and values about healthy rivers 4. trust in and adoption of practices likely to improve or protect river health We tested these indicators through a telephone survey and are now analysing the results. An exciting early finding is that there are relationships between the indicators and river health behaviours. For example, community members who use rivers for recreation such as picnics, walks and cycling are more likely to also state that they carry out positive river health behaviours, such as preventing stormwater pollution. People with a greater knowledge of river health are also more likely to state they do the right thing by rivers. So what does this mean for river managers and scientists? If you have a better understanding of people’s knowledge and involvement with rivers, you can better target community engagement activities. For example, encouraging recreational amenity and access is likely to improve people’s behaviour in protecting and restoring rivers.
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Situating science in the social context through collaboration By Michelle Riedlinger Participatory methods of science communication are meant to produce changes not only in social or community groups but in the individuals and institutions conducting or supporting scientific research. Yet, organisations often fall back on traditional methods of science communication such as public lectures or demonstrations and call this ‘participation’. And who can blame them? Science communication involving the public can be resource intensive and complicated when the outcome is situating science in a social context. Science communicators are starting to recognise the value of cross-sectoral collaboration in bridging the gap between science and society. It involves getting individuals and organisations from science, technology, engineering and medicine to work with people from the social sciences, humanities and arts. Cross-sectoral collaboration can deal with factors that are often absent or difficult to incorporate in science communication—the negotiation of meanings (rather than facts), social values and critiques of science, for example. It can provide new approaches to public engagement and change how institutions do research. Visit our website for case studies of cross-sectoral collaboration situating science in the social context. |
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Helping farmers manage a variable climate By Adriana Velez I finished my Masters thesis two weeks ago and, although it was hard work and I’m glad it’s over, I have to say that I really enjoyed doing it. I learned a lot about Australian farmers and how they deal with climate change and variability. I’m very aware now of their tough life, and I’m happy to see that there are organisations trying to come up with new technologies to help them better manage their farms. The Bureau of Meteorology is one of these organisations. They are developing new seasonal forecasting tools to help primary producers make sense of climate variability. Climate science has come a long way and is being applied in many tools. Yet, if there is one thing that I learned from my work, it is that consultation is crucial in trying to encourage the adoption of new technologies. It doesn’t matter how well intentioned the organisations are or how advanced the tools are if they are not relevant to farmers in general. We were contracted to find out what farmers in Australia need from seasonal forecast tools and information to help them make decisions about their business. This is an advantageous opportunity for both sides, because farmers are given the chance to influence the development of the new products, and the Bureau can concentrate their efforts on producing tools that are going to be used. |
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Community conversations about energy and climate change By Peta Ashworth, CSIRO At CSIRO, we’ve been working on developing a community conversation model, called ‘Energymark’. It’s a way to engage people in discussions about climate change and energy technologies that can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. We believe it could make a huge difference to the uptake of a range of technological solutions, and provide a way to monitor the effectiveness of policy initiatives. It should also bring about large-scale behaviour change in energy consumption and efficiency. Our social research team has been exploring public perceptions to climate change and energy technologies for several years and we have developed an understanding of what the general public thinks is important and the manner in which information about energy and climate change is integrated. Evaluation of our research suggests that there are four crucial approaches to develop if we are to change the way we use energy in Australia: 1. Influential others – groups and individuals in whom we should invest significant levels of communication and dialogue (e.g. media, finance sector, insurance, NGOs, CEOs). They have the power to influence large sectors of society through their business practices and communication networks. We are developing a large group process to engage with these stakeholders. 2. Community – people with an interest in the topic and who can become catalysts to spread the word and initiate societal change. This is where the Energymark model comes in—‘kitchen table’ conversations that encourage people to discuss the issues with their friends and family, using discussion in a safe environment to create dissonance and bring about change in individuals. 3. Education – teachers are keen and motivated to learn more about energy and climate change. They can bring the technologies and climate change issues into the classrooms at all levels. CSIRO recently held a symposium at the Energy Transformed Flagship for science teachers and scientists to hear the latest research on our climate change and energy technologies. 4. Specific audiences – people who will be directly impacted by a new technology; for example, those who live in a geothermal area or where a wind farm is to be installed. This requires more focused engagement than approaches 1–3. Underpinning each of these approaches is a number of theoretical considerations which I am happy to discuss with interested communicators. Email: Peta.Ashworth@csiro.au |
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Become a catalyst for conversation. Share your story about climate change on http://climatexchange.aspacnet.org. On the site, you can easily publish your personal experience of climate change. You can write about it and upload a video and photos. Videos are hosted on YouTube and photos on Flickr, so the stories are available to a wide audience. There are also some good resources for communicating about climate change. |
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Quotation of the month
Young people are more hopeful at a certain age than adults,
but I suspect that's glandular.
Gore Vidal (1925 - ), Conversations With Gore Vidal - 1981
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© Econnect Communication Pty Ltd 2007 Articles in this newsletter can be reproduced if Econnect Communication Pty Ltd is acknowledged as the source. |
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