Climate Change Communication and the IPCC

Friday, 5th November 2021

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is widely regarded as the most authoritative source on climate change. With this comes a responsibility to ensure the information is communicated effectively to policymakers, citizens and those who rely on the information for their lives and livelihoods. How the IPCC communicates has been the subject of intense analysis in the past, as has the diversity of perspectives and knowledge that are included. Nearing the end of the Sixth Assessment Cycle, now is an important moment to reflect on successes, challenges, lessons learned and best practice for future reports.

International media and the communications and science communities will be invited to mark the launch of a new Topical Collection (TC) of the journal Climatic Change on the topic of Climate Change Communication and the IPCC. The TC showcases expertise in the research, policy and other stakeholder communities in communicating climate change, and its relevance to the IPCC. A diverse panel of authors of three TC papers (on public understanding of terminology, engaging young people and democratising knowledge) will present their key findings, followed by critical reflections from IPCC vice chair, Thelma Krug, on their significance for the IPCC’s communications strategy. This will be followed by a frank and forward-looking Q&A session and a light-hearted ‘pitch contest’ with special guests to close the event.