Two major climate change-focused events are set to take place before the end of September:

  • The United Nations General Assembly convenes through Sept. 27 with a heavy focus on climate change and the international governing body’s Climate Action Summit will begin on Sept. 23.
  • Youth climate strikes, coordinated to draw worldwide attention to climate change, are scheduled to take place beginning Sept. 20.

CU Boulder researcher Max Boykoff studies media coverage of climate change and has researched how a variety of effective (and less effective) communication methods shape the discourse around the issue.

“There is an urgent need to diversify our communications about climate change to effectively confront climate challenges,” said Boykoff, director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research and author of the new book Creative (Climate) Communications: Productive Pathways for Science, Policy and Society. “Humans intuitively and emotionally relate to humor, the arts and other tactile appeals. We can and should use these tools to reach people where they are, beyond just policy briefs and stump speeches.”

Boykoff, a fellow in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), tracks international media coverage of climate change through the Media and Climate Change Observatory and has helped develop innovative new curricula including the Inside the Greenhouse project, which helps students explore new ways to effectively communicate, learn about and engage with climate change.

He is available to discuss the current media landscape around climate change, how to improve the discussion in the public arena and why a variety of different approaches for different audiences is useful.