Skip to content
All Podcast Episodes

Not Cool Ep 9: Andrew Revkin on climate communication, vulnerability, and information gaps

Published
26 September, 2019

In her speech at Monday’s UN Climate Action Summit, Greta Thunberg told a roomful of global leaders, “The world is waking up.” Yet the science, as she noted, has been clear for decades. Why has this awakening taken so long, and what can we do now to help it along? On Episode 9 of Not Cool, Ariel is joined by Andy Revkin, acclaimed environmental journalist and founding director of the new Initiative on Communication and Sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute. Andy discusses the information gaps that have left us vulnerable, the difficult conversations we need to be having, and the strategies we should be using to effectively communicate climate science. He also talks about inertia, resilience, and creating a culture that cares about the future. 

Topics discussed include:

  • Inertia in the climate system 
  • The expanding bullseye of vulnerability
  • Managed retreat 
  • Information gaps
  • Climate science literacy levels 
  • Renewable energy in conservative states
  • Infrastructural inertia 
  • Climate science communication strategies
  • Increasing resilience
  • Balancing inconvenient realities with productive messaging 
  • Extreme events 

References discussed include:

Behind the headlines, behind the red/blue, there's plenty of things to look at that are going in the right direction. And no scientist and no longtime climate journalist like me would say it's enough; But it's real. 

~ Andy Revkin

Transcript

View transcript

Sign up for the Future of Life Institute newsletter

Join 40,000+ others receiving periodic updates on our work and cause areas.
View previous editions
cloudmagnifiercrossarrow-up
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram