Mr. Moyer begins with, “Remember climate change?”  The issue barely came up during the presidential campaigns, and little has been said since. But bringing climate change back into our national conversation is as much a communications challenge as it is a scientific one.  Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication,  describes his efforts to do what even Hurricane Sandy couldn’t – galvanize communities to fight global warming.  

Mr. Leiserowitz tells Bill Moyer,  “And what we’re now beginning to see is that Climate Change not so distant.  It’s not just future generations. It’s us and it’s our own children. I have a nine-year-old son — he’s going to be my age in the year 2050. I don’t want him to live in the world that we are currently hurtling towards.”  

You can find the entire interview at http://billmoyers.com/segment/anthony-leiserowitz-on-making-people-care-about-climate-change/

Over the last 20 years, studies have shown that Climate Change (CC) is (1) Real, (2) caused by human activity, (3) very bad, (4) reason for hope and (5) unbiased experts all agree.   Shown below are 6 groups reacting to CC and the survey percentage of Americans.   Which group do you belong to?  

1  = Alarm 16% = Yes, CC is happening, but I don’t know what to do

2 = Concern 29%  = Yes, but CC is distant.  Not near me or my time.

3=  Cautious 25%  = Maybe, I’m on the fence.  I  need more facts about CC.

4= Disengaged 8%  = Heard a little, but know nothing about CC. 

5 = Doubtful 13% = Possible, CC is natural,  we can’t do anything about it. 

6 =Dismissive  8%  - No way.  CC is not a problem. It’s a hoax, fossil fuels help me financially.  

If you share some idea of what we could do, let us know your CC group number, so we know where you are coming from.   For example:

I believe I’m now in CC#1.  I think that CC can not be implemented in the world unless there is a grass-root effort that gets the attention of law makers.  The effort could give families incentives to use less fossil fuel products.   Maybe help the economy too by putting up a solar roof to drive air-conditioners next summer.