The Exploratorium, San Francisco

Conversations About Landscape: Beyond the Polar Bear

Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth propelled climate change into the mainstream—this big-screen portrayal of a “planetary emergency” moved what had been a largely scientific discussion to dinner tables around the world.

Since then, efforts to educate citizens about climate change have mushroomed. The past decade has seen an evolution in the way we talk about—and try to inspire action around—this often confusing and polarizing topic. Early terms such as “global warming” have been supplanted, and polar bears floating on shrinking ice floes are no longer the issue’s default “poster child.” As with most complex issues, there seems to be no one “silver bullet” approach to communicating about the many facets of climate change, including earth science, climate science, policy decisions, and collective action, and ranging from individual daily decisions to global governmental accords.

But several themes have begun to emerge in climate change communication, particularly around the role of humans, and our nature as complex beings with hearts as well as minds.

Join a robust discussion examining the evolution and psychology of climate change communication.

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