Communicating Climate-Change and Natural Hazard Risk and Cultivating Resilience

Over the last decade, scholars and practitioners have collaborated to codify a set of guiding principles, or best practices, within crisis communication “in an effort to improve quality and efficiency, inform practices, and … improve performance” (Seeger, J Appl Commun Res 34(3):232–244, 2006). Several factors, however, complicate the process by which these practices are determined, namely, the unpredictable nature of crises, organizational structures and cultures, divergent crisis communication goals (reduction of risk, image repair, informing multiple publics, etc.), and advances in technology. Social media and their vast array of networks have created multiple primary, secondary, and even tertiary stakeholder groups with competing and conflicting information needs, requiring organizations to create new practices of responsiveness. Coleman (J Brand Strategy 2(2):129–133, 2013) advocates for organizations to revise and update their best practices “in quieter times,” based on “what is known to work” now in the digital age (p. 233). Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to review best practices in crisis communication and to expand and extend the conversation to include social media.

Human activities, principally the burning of fossil fuels, are changing the climate. Despite widespread scientific consensus on this fact, communicating the risks posed by climate change to the public remains challenging. We examine the role of contrarian narratives in climate communication, focusing on two terminological claims—(1) that scientists abandoned the term global warming in favor of climate change in response to a change in temperature evolution, and (2) that catastrophic anthropogenic global warming is the mainstream scientific position—and find them to be without merit. We discuss how scientists and communicators can neutralize these myths while informing the public. Finally, we summarize the existing literature on word choice in climate communications and suggest best practices based on target audiences.

Since 2007, no scientific body of national, or international, standing rejects the findings of human-induced climate change. Yet in the United States, public opinion and public policy remain deeply divided on the issue. I review five longitudinal surveys from Yale/George Mason, Stanford/Resources for the Future, University of Michigan/Brookings, Gallup, and the Pew Research Center to understand different surveys of Americans have different results to the question “Does global warming exist?” I find that question wording makes a difference, and researchers may want to focus their efforts on answering the questions that lead to the “Don’t know” responses.

Air pollution and climate change are two major environmental problems. These issues are not only inextricably linked with regard to their effects and mitigation options but also through their causes that include human behavior, infrastructures, technology, and other factors. This implies that societal transformation to a sustainable human-atmosphere relationship will require the involvement of the many facets of society for discussions of normative and value-related issues for the codesign of salient and legitimate solutions. We describe the ClimPol project and a specific subproject Mobility and Climate, which create integrated and long-lasting strategies by applying a transdisciplinary approach together with the framework of coupled-human-atmosphere-systems-thinking.

Communicating about climate change is a serious challenge. There is an urgent need to develop effective processes at the local level to engage, inform, and support decision-makers in their efforts to plan for the impacts of climate change. This is particularly urgent in Alaska, where the impacts of climate change are already being felt. The Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has spent the past 7 years facilitating the use of scenarios for climate change planning. In this case study highlighting SNAP’s collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS), we explore how the scenario planning process can be applied to support effective communication of climate risks. The scenario planning process is a promising approach for engaging diverse individuals in a dialogue that promotes a new way of thinking about uncertainty while facilitating the coproduction of knowledge.

Despite the strong dependence of certain sectors (e.g. energy, health, agriculture, tourism and insurance) on weather and climate variability, and several initiatives towards demonstrating the added benefits of integrating probabilistic climate forecasts into decision-making processes, such information is still underutilised. Improved communication is fundamental to stimulate the use of climate products by end users. This chapter evaluates current approaches to the visual communication of probabilistic seasonal climate forecast information. The overall aim of this study is to establish a visual communication protocol for such forecasts, which does not currently exist. Global Producing Centres (GPCs) show their own probabilistic forecasts with limited consistency in communication between different centres, which complicates how end users understand and interpret the products. A communication protocol that encompasses both the visualisation and description of climate forecasts can help to introduce a standard format and message to end users across different climate-sensitive sectors. It is hoped that this work will facilitate the improvement of decision-making processes that rely on climate forecast information and enable their wide-range dissemination via new climate services.

In order to control the spread of diseases and prepare for epidemics, decision support systems are required that take into account the multifaceted array of factors that contribute to increased disease risk. Climate forecasts, which predict the average climate conditions for forthcoming months/seasons, provide an opportunity to incorporate precursory climate information into decision support systems for climate-sensitive diseases. This aids epidemic planning months in advance, for diseases such as dengue, cholera, West Nile virus, chikungunya and malaria, among others. Here, we present a versatile model framework, which quantifies the extent to which climate indicators can explain variations in disease risk, while at the same time taking into account their interplay with the intrinsic/internal features of disease dynamics, which ultimately shape their epidemic structure. The framework can be adapted to model any climate-sensitive disease at different spatial/temporal scales and geographical settings. We provide case studies, quantifying the impact of climate on dengue and malaria in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa.

Davao Oriental located at 7°30′N and 126°50′E is one of the many landslide-prone provinces in the Philippines experiencing severe rainfall throughout the year. With the increase in population and other infrastructural developments, it is necessary to map the landslide potential of the area, to assure the safety of the people and delineate suitable land for development. In order to produce rainfall-induced shallow landslide hazard maps, Stability Index Mapping (SINMAP) was used over a 5-m interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR)-derived digital terrain model (DTM). SINMAP is based on the infinite slope stability model. Topographic, soil geotechnical, and hydrologic parameters (cohesion, angle of friction, bulk density, infiltration rate, and hydraulic transmissivity) were assigned to each pixel of the DTM with the total area of 5,164.5 km² to compute for the corresponding factor of safety. The landslide hazard maps generated using SINMAP are found to be accurate when compared to the landslide inventory from 2003 to 2013. The landslide susceptibility classification was translated to zoning maps indicating areas that are safe from shallow landslides, areas that can be built upon with slope intervention and monitoring, and the no-build areas. These maps complement the structurally controlled landslide, debris flow, and other natural hazard maps that are being prepared to aid proper zoning for residential and infrastructural developments.

In this case study, we examine disaster recovery in Galena, a small village in Interior Alaska. In May 2013, a massive ice jam on the Yukon River caused flooding that destroyed much of the community’s infrastructure and forced the long-term evacuation of over 66 % of residents. In this work, we analyze the virtual relief networks that developed on the social media site Facebook immediately after the flooding in relation to more traditional media and agency press release activity. By contrasting communication channels, we establish the importance of a connection to outside populations during disaster recovery.

This chapter documents a content analysis of 62 media reports related to the 2011 blue-green algae (BGA) outbreak on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Oklahoma. A three-stage crisis model is used to understand the media framing and crisis communication related to the event. Media reports were categorized according to modality. The data set included: traditional media reports (n = 21, 33 %), online blogs (n = 7, 11 %), and online press releases (n = 34, 54 %). These units of analysis represent both controlled and uncontrolled media representations of the crisis event. The objectives of this analysis are to understand how risk and crisis communication strategies were utilized before, during, and after the BGA outbreak. Five strategies and techniques for improving crisis communication effectiveness are detailed. Limitations and implications are provided.

Rivers in the Lower Mekong Basin, Cambodia, receive additional water and waterborne sediments annually during the monsoon. In the 2011 monsoon season, the region was inundated by extreme flood events. This chapter identifies inundation characteristics and explains fluvial landforms developed over a long-term flood history near Phnom Penh and Kampong Thom in Cambodia, based on land classification and field surveys. Understanding the development of fluvial plains and promoting land use in accordance with river behavior can minimize flood risk and allow local populations to live sustainably in flood-prone areas.

Data from Earth observation systems are used extensively in managing and monitoring natural resources, natural hazards, and the impacts of climate change, but the value of such data can be difficult to estimate, particularly when it is available at no cost. Assessing the socioeconomic and scientific value of these data provides a better understanding of the existing and emerging research, science, and applications related to this information and contributes to the decision-making process regarding current and future Earth observation systems. Recent USGS research on Landsat data has advanced the literature in this area by using a variety of methods to estimate value. The results of a 2012 survey of Landsat users, a 2013 requirements assessment, and a 2013 case studies of applications of Landsat imagery are discussed.

Natural and social scientists are increasingly stepping out of purely academic roles to actively inform science-based climate change policies. This chapter examines a practical example of science and policy interaction. We focus on the implementation of California’s global warming law, based on our participation in the public process surrounding the development of two new carbon offset protocols. Most of our work on the protocols focused on strategies for ensuring that the environmental quality of the program remains robust in the face of significant scientific and behavioral uncertainty about protocol outcomes. In addition to responding to technical issues raised by government staff, our contributions—along with those from other outside scientists—helped expand the protocol development discussion to include important scientific issues that would not have otherwise been part of the process. We close by highlighting the need for more scientists to proactively engage the climate policy development process.

Climate change and the natural hazards associated with it are some of the greatest environmental, economic, and political challenges of our time. Given how important students are to the future of addressing these issues, it is surprising that those who are tasked with educating them, teachers, have been so greatly overlooked. This chapter will address the challenges and opportunities for creating a resilient, supported, and informed educational community that can work with students to plan for the future.

Uncertainty is supposed to be the most underrated element of science communication. While being a crucial part of scientific research, uncertainty is perceived by the recipients of science communication as unwanted and prone to create mistakes and malfunction in everyday life. Nevertheless, uncertainty can and should play a significant role in science communication. A growing number of studies deals with different aspects of uncertainty and gives valuable ideas on how to implement the concept of uncertainty into science interpretation and communication. This article will draw the attention to the multidimensional characteristics of uncertainty. Since decision-makers have to consider variability, uncertainty, and probability into feasibility analysis, we show that the communication of the scientific surplus value of these concepts must be centered within modern science communication efforts. A special focus will be on the use of the concepts of uncertainty and variability within interpretive and educational programs in museum environments.

Scientists who work with international colleagues in their own country or outside its boundaries are, ultimately, practicing science diplomats. This chapter will explore the definition of science diplomacy and its functions, describe the types of individuals that practice science diplomacy, suggest potential resources and list potential challenges, discuss the key role of diaspora in science diplomacy, and outline best practices. It will also describe the global organizations that specifically promote geoscience engagement, such as the international unions for the geosciences, and others working on Earth system science issues, including both academic programs and global bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and UNESCO. From this point of view, it will describe the roles and activities of the US National Committees for the international geoscience unions hosted by the US National Academy of Sciences and will present case studies of geoscience diplomacy excellence, such as the US Geological Survey-Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance’s Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP). Though this discussion will be done largely from the US perspective, the underlying concepts should be applicable around the world. The issues of global climate change and natural hazard risk communication in many instances involve interactions across cultures and across boundaries. An understanding of the diplomacy element in those interactions, and the integration of those approaches in the planning and establishment of those programs will increase their likelihood of success.

As the world works to build resiliency to the impacts of climate change, it is increasingly important that companies, in addition to communities, consider and manage risks from such impacts to their assets and infrastructure. Discussion of climate change as a financial risk presents opportunities to engage companies and their investors on climate-related issues. Coastal oil-refining operations, in particular, face tremendous risks from the impacts of climate change, which can damage or destroy coastal energy facilities, curtail or stop production, and inundate nearby communities. Here, five oil refineries’ risk to sea level rise, and climate change-enhanced storm surge is assessed for the present day, 2030, 2050, and 2100. Risk assessments are compared against the degree to which the five companies have publicly disclosed climate-related risk to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as recommended. Finally, suggestions are offered for better company consideration and disclosure of climate risks.