Like last year, 2022 continues to be a busy year for communicating climate.
As I write this, we are in the middle of the highly anticipated Sixth Assessment Report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body. Each IPCC Assessment Report aims to provide policymakers with scientific assessments on climate change, its implications, and potential future risks. It is published in four parts, taking roughly six to seven years to produce.
The first part was published last August, looking at the physical basis of climate science. The second part recently followed in January, assessing the impacts of climate change and how we can adapt. Key messages from both publications included 'it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land', 'every small increase in warming will have a negative impact' and 'stakes for our planet have never been higher'.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2022, the third part reporting on mitigating climate change is due in April. The fourth, which draws all the other reports together with additional Special Reports, is expected in September. Findings from each Assessment Report have long been a critical input to UN international climate change negotiations and will be no different for COP27 in Egypt this November. Focus in the run-up to and around COP27 will likely be on emission reductions, adapting to the impacts of climate change and climate finance – areas where more progress is needed. These are just a few examples of key climate 'milestones' that are happening this year, providing an opportunity to engage your audiences about climate change.
Climate literacy is a prerequisite to climate action. If we are to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial times, we need everyone in society to understand what's happening and why. Through communications and education, we can empower future generations to prepare for the impacts of climate change and adapt and mitigate the risk. Communicating climate change has never been more important than it is now. Recent research by Ipsos has shown global climate concern remains high, and people want to act. However, they are more confused than ever about what they should do and what impact their actions might have. Many also don't grasp the scale of the challenge. As communication professionals, you can play a significant role. You can help improve climate literacy, tackle misinformation and empower people to act and ultimately shape how society responds to the climate crisis.
At the Royal Meteorological Society, we are passionate about and actively support climate communication, helping others cut through the noise and embed the conversation in the facts as we know them. But, it's not easy. We are on our own journey of climate communication through online and social content, the RMetS publications portfolio, regular media interviews and reporter fact-checking, and bespoke training for broadcasters, journalists, and editors. We hope to be able to share some of our learnings with you.
If you are working in a communications role and looking to improve your knowledge of climate change or your confidence in engaging audiences about the topic, we can help. To learn more, join our half-day course 'How to Communicate about Climate Change Accurately and Effectively' on Thursday 23 June 2022.