My latest DeSmogBlog item is up. It's about our packed panel yesterday on "Communicating Climate Science" at the AGU meeting, and some of the lessons provided therein. A very brief excerpt:
[Susan Joy] Hassol gave a memorable overview of the many wonk words that climate scientists use that backfire in communication with the public—or just fail completely to convey what scientists actually mean. “Anthropogenic,” for instance. How many times, she noted, have you heard someone try to sound smart and say “anthropomorphic” instead? And those are the ones that are trying to get it right. Other words that backfire or have different meanings than scientists think? "Radiation." "Errors." "Models." "Theory." Oh, and especially "aerosols." When people hear about aerosols, Hassol emphasized, they think of spray cans. What a perfect way of reinforcing the widespread misconception that climate change has something to do with the hole in the ozone layer.
And there was much more. You can read the full piece here.
