Content Type: Project Description

Climate voices is a nationwide network of over 400 science speakers with the goal of engaging U.S. scientists and their fellow citizens in non-partisan, accurate dialogue about climate change. It is funded and managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the United Nations Foundation (UNF), but resources from additional institutions are needed to realize the project potential to grow into a successful and important grassroots operation across the country. Network engagement is facilitated through a web interface that enables the public to locate climate experts by geographical location, expertise, and languages spoken and contact them directly. Climate Voices provides webinars that inform these climate experts on the latest research and activities related to climate change and that train them to communicate this information to a diverse group of citizens. We will present the motivation for one of the network’s speakers to participate and the various methods used by the speaker to engage in dialogue with the public. The success of Climate Voices can provide a model for engaging diverse audiences in a dialogue around critical environmental issues while defining a role for environmental experts to communicate environmental challenges.