Comments on: The Art of Climate Communication http://www.collide-a-scape.com/2010/01/19/the-art-of-climate-communication/ where nature and culture meet Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:48:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Michael Tobis http://www.collide-a-scape.com/2010/01/19/the-art-of-climate-communication/comment-page-1/#comment-1552 Michael Tobis Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:50:23 +0000 http://www.collide-a-scape.com/?p=2251#comment-1552 I am not sure RP Jr has the right taxonomy. But he is asking the right question. Things are indeed  harder when roles aren't well-defined. (I note that RP Jr has no role for journalism in his model. Interesting.) More crucially to his argument, RP Jr here makes no reference to the influence of public funding agencies, which consistently blur the sorts of boundaries RP Jr tries to set up. As a scientist, your job description, in the end, is to get grants and fulfill them. You also have an ethical requirement that, to the extent your results have implications in public discourse, to ensure that the public understanding is as close to substantially correct as you can manage. Neither of these forces currently make any effort to align with RP Jr's taxonomy. A lot of how people expect scientists to behave is at odds with their institutional constraints. RP Jr presumably understands this, so I hope that in the book he suggests appropriate institutional change to support his ideas. I am not sure RP Jr has the right taxonomy. But he is asking the right question. Things are indeed  harder when roles aren’t well-defined.

(I note that RP Jr has no role for journalism in his model. Interesting.)

More crucially to his argument, RP Jr here makes no reference to the influence of public funding agencies, which consistently blur the sorts of boundaries RP Jr tries to set up. As a scientist, your job description, in the end, is to get grants and fulfill them. You also have an ethical requirement that, to the extent your results have implications in public discourse, to ensure that the public understanding is as close to substantially correct as you can manage. Neither of these forces currently make any effort to align with RP Jr’s taxonomy.

A lot of how people expect scientists to behave is at odds with their institutional constraints. RP Jr presumably understands this, so I hope that in the book he suggests appropriate institutional change to support his ideas.

]]> By: Steve Bloom http://www.collide-a-scape.com/2010/01/19/the-art-of-climate-communication/comment-page-1/#comment-1538 Steve Bloom Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:31:12 +0000 http://www.collide-a-scape.com/?p=2251#comment-1538 "I realize that this fact is hard for climate advocates to wrap their own minds around."  *sigh*  Yeah, climate advocates are idiots who need to be set straight by journalists.  You betcha, Keith. "But they are often asked to paint a future picture of an increasing CO2 load."  Which they do, but then journalists fail to cover it for the most part.  By all means let's blame the scientists for that, though.  After all, if we can't scapegoat them ot the environmentalists, we'd have to, you know, consider the institutional failings of journalism.  “I realize that this fact is hard for climate advocates to wrap their own minds around.”  *sigh*  Yeah, climate advocates are idiots who need to be set straight by journalists.  You betcha, Keith.

“But they are often asked to paint a future picture of an increasing CO2 load.”  Which they do, but then journalists fail to cover it for the most part.  By all means let’s blame the scientists for that, though.  After all, if we can’t scapegoat them ot the environmentalists, we’d have to, you know, consider the institutional failings of journalism. 

]]> By: Keith Kloor http://www.collide-a-scape.com/2010/01/19/the-art-of-climate-communication/comment-page-1/#comment-1537 Keith Kloor Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:23:37 +0000 http://www.collide-a-scape.com/?p=2251#comment-1537 No, I don't think scientists will become art critics. But they are often asked to paint a future picture of an increasing CO2 load. No, I don’t think scientists will become art critics. But they are often asked to paint a future picture of an increasing CO2 load.

]]> By: Vinny Burgoo http://www.collide-a-scape.com/2010/01/19/the-art-of-climate-communication/comment-page-1/#comment-1536 Vinny Burgoo Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:03:09 +0000 http://www.collide-a-scape.com/?p=2251#comment-1536 Why is it a fine line? Do you expect scientists to become art critics? Or are you thinking about them perhaps stepping in to correct any absurdly over-stated climate claims made by artists? Why is it a fine line? Do you expect scientists to become art critics? Or are you thinking about them perhaps stepping in to correct any absurdly over-stated climate claims made by artists?

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