Climate Week in Sidmouth: 7.30pm Weds 4th March >>> @ Kennaway House >>> “Someone must do something: barriers and opportunities to acting on human-induced climate change”

Tomorrow evening sees a discussion on the public perceptions of climate change:
Vision Group for Sidmouth - Climate Week in Sidmouth ... “Someone must do something" >>> Dr Ewan Woodley of Exeter Univeristy
Sid Vale Association - Events and Activities

This blog has looked at how the public see climate change:
Futures Forum: Climate change: perceptions and solutions: a summary
Futures Forum: Climate change: and public perception in the UK >>>>> "More people are prepared to accept the reality of climate change."

With a very useful overview from Wikipedia:
Public opinion on climate change - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But we must be careful not to oversimplify the debate by too much labelling:

Climate change labels “confuse” the debate

 Feb 20, 2015  Taryn Nixon  Markets & Finance  1

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Image: Thinkstock

Labels such as “sceptic” “denier” and “alarmist” confuse the climate change debate.

New research suggests scientists and academics need to pay more attention to how they use labels and their choice of language in order to have a “constructive” debate.

Co-author and Senior Research Fellow Candice Howarth from Anglia Ruskin University told ELN: “The labels produce the perception the debate is polarised. You don’t get labels that are in middle of the spectrum or people who don’t engage in the debate.”

Some labels within the debate appear to express disapproval and are associated with “crying wolf” or exaggerating danger, the paper claims.

They identify people at extreme sides of the argument and although there are different views and opinions on the topic, the “polarised” labels could frame the argument as “antagonistic and combative,” it added.

This could lead to people ignoring other views and dividing opinions into “us and them” sides, the journal ‘Labelling opinions in the climate debate: a critical review’ said.

Asked if they would affect the public’s perception of climate change, Dr Howarth said: “They can translate into the [public] domain. It can act to confuse the public’s perception of the debate.”

Dr Howarth said the definition of a climate change “sceptic” has changed adding: “Being sceptical is a part of being a scientist. It implies seeking the truth but now the debate around a climate change sceptic implies it is someone who believes climate change is exaggerated.

“The labels have been misused. It would confuse people about what the debate is about.”

Energy Live News – Energy Made Easy – Climate change labels “confuse” the debate
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