On 15 April 2020 we held our first Transformations Talks webinar, on the topic of ‘Transforming Science Communication for Transformations to Sustainability’. We heard from speakers Susi Moser, Director, Susanne Moser Research & Consulting, Emily Polk, Lecturer, Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Stanford University, Ochieng’ Ogodo, Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Coordinator, SciDevNet and Lisa Herzog, Associate Professor, University of Groningen. Together with participants, they discussed why science communication matters for transformations to sustainability, how we can communicate about ongoing transdisciplinary research with new audiences in an inclusive and ethical way, and how today’s communications tools can be used to foreground voices that are frequently marginalized in climate change debates.

Watch the webinar:

Additional resources related to this webinar:

Moser, S.C. (2019). Not for the faint of heart: Tasks of climate change communication in the context of societal transformation. In: Climate and Culture: Multidisciplinary Perspectives of Knowing, Being and Doing in a Climate Change World, G. Feola, H. Geoghegan, and A. Arnall (eds.), pp.141-167. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Pre-publication available here. Other communication publications by Susi Moser are available at www.susannemoser.com/publications.communications.php Polk Emily, Diver Sibyl, Situating the Scientist: Creating Inclusive Science Communication Through Equity Framing and Environmental Justice, Frontiers in Communication, Vol.5, 2020, doi:10.3389/fcomm.2020.00006 The triumphs and trials of transdisciplinary research: reflections on the un-disciplining of disciplines By Zarina Patel writing on the International Science Council website, 28 May 2019. Global Young Academy Trust in Young Scientists project, including a video project on Science ∞ Society: Video tutorials on science ethics and science communication Speakers received over 70 questions in this webinar, with many attendees asking about methods of meaningfully involving local voices as experts rather than vulnerable individuals, and incorporating traditional knowledge in research communication. Others asked about how to deal with barriers and doubt that might make people less likely to engage with science communications, especially when facing a deluge of information and fake news. These are topics we will return to in future webinars, as well as in the ongoing International Science Council project on the public value of science.