Making the Global Local: Unusual Weather Events as Climate Change Educational Activities
An award has been made to George Mason University to establish a Phase I Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) in collaboration with the American Meteorological Society, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, American Geophysical Union, American Association of State Climatologists, and Climate Central. The overall goal of the CCEP Phase I project is to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. This project will focus on establishing a national network of on-air broadcast meteorologists, climate scientists, university research programs, and key climate and weather science organizations, to engage, train, and empower local broadcast meteorologists to educate and inform the American public about climate.
The specific goals include (1) identifying the resources, training and other forms of support that will enable weathercasters to incorporate relevant information about climate change into their broadcasts; (2) identifying, among those weathercasters still undecided about the reality of anthropogenic climate change, (a) the nature of their indecisions, and (b) opportunities to help them reach a conclusion consistent with scientific consensus; (3) developing a prototype conflict analysis and resolution process between weathercasters who reject the scientific consensus and those who accept it so as to (a) understand their differences and the patterns of interactions and (b) develop frameworks that mediate their concerns; (4) developing linkages with existing climate- and weather-related citizen science programs to enable weathercasters to involve their viewers in climate and weather science; (5) identifying curriculum and curriculum development needs for teaching climate science to undergraduate meteorology students and certificate candidates; and (6) designing a five-year implementation plan that (a) leverages the accomplishments of objectives 1-5 into an initiative that can achieve our goal and (b) is financially sustainable.
Funding agency NSF
Through the funding program CCEP Phase 1
Award Numbers DUE - 1043235
Selection Year:Award Period:
Products
Research Reports from the Center for Climate Change Communication
http://www.climatechangecommunication.org/resources_reports.cfm
Two research reports: 1) A National Survey of Television Meteorologists About Climate Change Education, June 2011. A report of findings on TV weathercasters' views about their potential role as climate educators, and the resources that would be of most use to them in playing this role. 2) American Meteorological Society Member Survey on Global Warming: Preliminary Findings, February 2012. A report on AMS members' perspectives about climate change. Specifically, AMS hoped to learn its members' perspectives on a variety of issues pertaining to climate change including their assessment of the evidence, their perception of conflict among our members, their views about AMS's role in public education, and their personal involvement in public education activities.
Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), Graduate/Professional
Audience Type: Students, Educators, Public, Diverse And Underserved Audiences, Decision Makers, Media Professionals, Scientists
Product Type: Professional Development