Research on Science, Technology and Public Affairs. Shifting Outlook, Shifting Communication, Shifting Policy.
Climate Shift Report

Response to James Inhofe’s Statements to Rachel Maddow on Climate Shift Report Spending Analysis

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) appeared on the March 15, 2012 MSNBC Rachel Maddow program to discuss his book “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future.” On the program, Inhofe cited findings from the April 2011 Climate Shift report comparing 2009 revenue and spending estimates for 45 environmental groups that had campaigned...

Increased Consumer Confidence Signals Good News for Climate Change Perceptions

Cross-posted from Big Think. As I wrote last week — with unemployment dropping below 9% for the first time since the start of 2009 — public belief and concern over climate change may be headed for an upward swing. The performance of the economy is likely the central consideration that should inform climate change communication...

The Economy, Climate Change, and Our Limited Pool of Worry

A new Pew survey reveals that as the economy shows signs of a modest recovery, public belief in climate change may be on the rise. Understanding how climate change perceptions shift relative to the performance of the economy is centrally important to effective communication and public engagement. This past spring in a Q&A style interview...

As Unemployment Drops, Public Belief in Climate Change Shows Signs of Recovery

–Reposted from Big Think. A November Pew survey reveals a slight upward shift in public belief in climate change. A number of factors likely account for the rise in belief but the most parsimonious explanation remains a recovering economy, marked by hopeful signs of a U.S. unemployment rate below 9% for the first time since 2009....

As Economy Continues to Struggle, New Survey Reveals Continued Stability in Public Views about Global Warming

Colleagues Tony Leiserowitz and Ed Maibach have released their latest survey report in the Global Warming Six Americas series. Below is the email summary from Tony describing the results from the May 2011 survey showing that public opinion and perceptions have held relatively stable since 2010 with any shifts minor in comparison to those that...

Response to Statements Made by Blogger Joe Romm on Analysis of Coverage at the Washington Post

Allegations of widespread “false balance” in mainstream news coverage of climate change– as well as other mainstream media portrayals– have been voiced for more than a decade. Among the strongest voices asserting widespread false balance has been blogger Joe Romm.  Consider these examples, which are representative of many similar claims consistently voiced by Romm: An...

Response to Statements Made by Grist Blogger David Roberts

Blogger David Roberts at Grist has now written three posts on the Climate Shift report that falsely portray the nature and findings of the data analysis.  In his latest post, I left the following comment in reply. Dave, Before attempting to criticize the report, you need to make sure that you are referring to the...

The Economist on the Reaction to the Climate Shift Report

At The Economist, the anonymously written Babbage column offers a lengthy reflection on the Climate Shift report and the fierce reaction from a few bloggers.  Though Babbage plows some of the lobbying data questions I’ve addressed in previous posts, the column otherwise offers a range of valuable insights on why cap and trade failed and...

Miller-McCune on How Ideology Shapes Our Perceptions

At Miller-McCune magazine, Emily Badger discusses  several key themes of the Climate Shift report, focusing in part on how the reaction from several bloggers connects to the findings of Chapter 4.  The full article is worth a careful read but here is an excerpt: *** Nisbet contends that all of us — scientists, even —...

Response to Pew and EDF on Analysis of Lobbying Data

At his NY Times’ Dot Earth blog today, Andrew Revkin constructively moves the discussion forward to focus on the core themes and implications of the Climate Shift report.  He notes that given the complexity of the debate over climate change and the data assembled and analyzed in the report that critics will always find strings to...