Because we have so far failed to act with the necessary urgency, we are now in a climate emergency. We’re in a race to reach a social tipping point to instigate sufficiently urgent action before we’re overtaken by tipping points in the climate system. Important climate policies have broad support in the U.S. and globally, but their framing matters critically to their level of acceptance. The words and narratives we use and the emotions we invoke are key to tapping into people’s motivation. Words matter, and what works varies with your audience. The future is in our hands. How we tell the story of climate change and its solutions is crucial to determining whether humanity will act in time to protect what we love and leave a world that’s safe and livable for future generations. 

Susan Joy Hassol is Director of Climate Communication, a project of the Aspen Global Change Institute. She’s an award-winning climate communicator and author known for her ability to translate science into English. For more than 30 years she’s helped scientists communicate more effectively and provided clear information to policy makers and journalists. She’s written and edited high-level reports including the first three U.S. National Climate Assessments. She’s testified to the U.S. Senate, written an HBO documentary, and speaks and publishes widely, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Boston Globe, Newsweek, Time, The Hill, Guardian, Independent, and Scientific American. Susan was named Friend of the Planet in 2023 by the National Center for Science Education, received the 2021 Ambassador Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and is a Fellow of AGU and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her exceptional contributions to the communication of climate change science to policy makers and the public. She tweets @ClimateComms

*Please note that you are being invited to watch a Zoom lecture being given in Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Michael Mann’s “Climate Change and Communication: Theories and Applications” course.

Upcoming in the speaker series:

• Seth Borenstein (Wednesday, Feb. 21, 10:30am)
• Jeffrey Morris (Wednesday, March 6, noon)
• Mustafa Santiago Ali (Wednesday, April 24, 10:30am) 

Join Zoom Meeting: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/92075070493?pwd=dFQyUittYkpVYXJQT2N0MW1kREpUQT09 

Meeting ID: 920 7507 0493

Passcode: 878270

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