COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Climate Change Outreach Team will host a webinar on climate change May 9, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The webinar, “Framing Climate Change: Recent Research Trends on Communication Strategies and Public Opinion,” will also feature a discussion by Erik Nisbet, an assistant professor of communication and political science at Ohio State.
Nisbet will talk about how the public views the issue of climate change, several explanations for these differences in perception, and possible approaches for bridging the gaps through innovative communication strategies. Anne Baird, an extension educator with OSU's School of Environment and Natural Resources and the OSU Extension Watershed Program, will moderate a question and answer session after the presentation.
The webinar, which is part of the Global Change, Local Impact webinar series, is free but requires participants to register to receive log-in information. Visit changingclimate.osu.edu to sign up.
Nisbet’s research interests center on how unconscious biases and selective information gathering through different media channels can influence public opinion about science and environmental policy. His presentation will also include an overview of the latest research on best climate change communication practices, which can help develop a public consensus about the issue.
The OSU Climate Change Outreach Team is a partnership among multiple departments within Ohio State, including OSU Extension, Ohio Sea Grant, the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, and the School of Environment and Natural Resources, to help localize the climate change issue by bringing research and resources to Ohioans and Great Lakes residents.
More information about the team’s work is available at changingclimate.osu.edu.