Greenhouse 2011 – communication and offensive denial

Day 2 of the Greenhouse 2011 conference featured a forum hosted by ‘Red Kerry’ O’Brien, of ABC 7:30 Report fame titled Converting Climate Science into Policy. The topic of denialism was raised straight off. How can scientists get their message across when widespread counterclaims are constantly competing with that message? Panellist Dr Graeme Pearman in his earlier plenary presentation had outlined the role of psychology as to how scientific conclusions are believed, outlining denial as a defence against uncertain futures. Such stances, he said, should be addressed supportively. This evolved into a discussion as to how climate scientists should communicate with those in denial.