Christy Dena’s Post

Climate change is all around us, and more and more we witness its impacts.  Our communities, ecosystems and day to day lives are constantly changing. How could this impact the way we think, feel and behave? The Kavli Foundation has partnered with the U.S. National Science Foundation to launch a grant program for researchers who can learn more about how neural systems respond to changing ecosystems. 💡 Submit a proposal or share this with great minds you think should investigate this understudied topic. https://lnkd.in/gEvWE5K9

If you are attending #AGU24, consider submitting an abstract to the session I am convening with my colleagues Mark SubbaRao and Brenda L.. We invite submissions that feature innovative forms of climate related science communication through data visualizations, narratives, interactive experiences, and physical exhibitions. Details for the session, including the full session overview and link to submit an abstract, can be found below! Bridging the Science Communication Gap Between Society and Global Planetary Change: Novel Ideas for an Unprecedented Climate Reality @ AGU24

Is climate change ‘settled science’? #Science, at its core, thrives on open inquiry and a willingness to challenge established paradigms. Yet, many critical issues, like #climatechange, get caught in the crossfire of #political agendas. This post argues for a return to a scientific approach in tackling such debates, prioritizing evidence-based analysis over political rhetoric. Public discourse surrounding climate change is a prime example of how politicization can overshadow scientific understanding. News outlets and social media often focus on sensationalized narratives, rather than presenting the nuances of scientific research. This creates an environment where ‘heat,’ in the form of passionate arguments, overpowers the ‘light’ of objective data. However, the claim that any scientific understanding is ‘settled’ is a dangerous misconception. The history of science is a testament to the ongoing process of questioning and refining established knowledge. From Galileo refuting the established geocentric view of #Earth being the center of the universe to Einstein correcting the seemingly ‘perfect’ theory of Newtonian mechanics, scientific progress hinges on challenging seemingly self-evident truths. The concern lies in the current realities of scientific funding. With #research becoming increasingly expensive, scientists feel direct and indirect pressures to tailor their work toward securing grants that align with specific political agendas like those of the #IPCC or unqualified media darlings like Greta Thunberg. This can stifle the freedom to explore alternative hypotheses and hinder the self-correcting nature of science. Furthermore, the public's desire for definitive answers in an uncertain world can be detrimental. Science is a process of continuous investigation, not a one-time revelation of absolute truths. Silencing dissenting voices or cherry-picking data to create a sense of certainty undermines the very foundation of scientific inquiry. In conclusion, prioritizing a scientific approach to critical debates is paramount. We must move beyond the realm of political rhetoric and embrace open discussions that are grounded in evidence-based research. Encouraging scientific literacy, fostering healthy skepticism, and ensuring independent research funding are crucial steps in ensuring that scientific inquiry continues to illuminate our path forward. As Richard Lindzen, Professor of Meteorology at MIT says, “When you hear a scientist say ‘the science is settled’, you know that person has stepped out of the science.”

Thank you to Jen Christiansen, Mark Fischetti, the reviewers (including the really young ones!), Tom Gabriel Johansen and our team, for this incredible opportunity to visualise the latest assessment on Planetary Boundaries and Climate Justice for Scientific American, in an article by Prof. Joyeeta Gupta published in the March 2024 edition of the magazine. Critical takeaways: ◉ As global society grows and consumes resources, it must operate within "safe" boundaries to protect 8 fundamental Earth systems. ◉ However, "safe" boundaries for Earth’s systems may NOT be "just" boundaries for Earth’s people. ◉ Society must function within "safe and just" boundaries to protect people everywhere. Otherwise, humans will suffer significant harm, and so will the planet. ◉ We have already exceeded the safe and just limits for 6 of the 8 boundaries, but future actions could help restore balance. The goal was to co-design a visual narrative that provides not only a visualisation of the evidence but also an understanding of how the scientists arrived at their assessment, with a focus on the criteria of justice that are central to the Earth System Boundaries. ➔ https://lnkd.in/dUcB9Pi4 PS The radial plot that visualises the Earth's Planetary Boundaries is an iconic image conveying a groundbreaking assessment of how humans exploit the Earth’s resources. This visual has evolved over the years and has been adapted into different versions. An initial visual research made it clear that we were standing on the shoulders of giants, with a visual history that could not be disregarded. It was enlightening to dive into readings such as "A Dashboard for Planet Earth" by Duncan Geere, "A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: humanity's compass in the 21st century" by Kate Raworth and the "Cautionary Remarks on the Planetary Boundary Visualisation" by Miguel Mahecha and Guido Kraemer, to name a few. https://lnkd.in/d3pEaTri

The Climate Action Almanac brings together top science fiction authors with researchers, artists, scientists, and advocates from around the world to share visions of positive climate futures. These works of fiction, nonfiction, and art chart pathways toward a vibrant, decarbonized future. They are grounded in real science and honor local particularities, insisting upon equity and justice and imagining efforts that could be scaled out for coordinated global change. Read this insightful piece "Learning to Dwell in Multispecies Futures" by Azucena Castro.

#CFP "The Social Impact of #ClimateFiction. A Cross-Disciplinary Conference" Deadline : 1 November, 2024 The study of climate fiction, texts exploring the impact of climate change has proliferated alongside the now-familiar call for better narrative accounts of the #Anthropocene.[1] At the same time, it is not enough to generate simply more of these narratives; the crucial task remains to evaluate how they are taken up by readers and audiences and make meaning in the world.[2] To this end, the conference’s presentations will be categorized within three areas where it is possible to assess this #literature’s potential impact: the implementation of climate narratives in the classroom (pedagogy); empirical studies of climate fiction’s reception (empirical #ecocriticism); and artworks that embed narratives for the purpose of inspiring greater climate #consciousness (climate #activism). Rather than repeat calls for more and better representations of climate change in fiction, this conference takes stock of the most recent innovations in #ecostorytelling and asks: how should the urgency of the climate crisis (and the resulting call to action) affect our expectations from, and experience of, reading literature today? And what evidence emerges for fiction’s capacity to inspire greater ecological #awareness? Please submit your 250-word abstract for 20-min presentations and a short bio to clifi.conference@gmail.com

Building Trust in Science: Insights from Sir Peter Gluckman At the 2024 World Science Forum #WSF2024, Sir Peter Gluckman, President of the International Science Council, emphasized a critical need for humility and interdisciplinary collaboration in #science. In a world marked by global crises and eroding institutional trust, he called on scientists to rebuild public confidence by embracing modesty, ethical rigor, and actionable knowledge. Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/e_gaXyx7 #TrustInScience #ClimateAction #WorldScienceForum #SciencePolicy

I listened to this interview with interest, and to Sir Peter Gluckman when he spoke on several other panels. He was far from the only one expressing these views – the need for humility, for scientists to better appreciate their position in society, and to learn to communicate more effectively and comprehensibly with those who need to understand their work (be they policy makers or civil society, or indeed others). Science faces many challenges, but we cannot proceed without it, or its practitioners. The stronger the relationship between science and the society within which it operates, the more completely each understands and interacts with the other, and the more frictionless the interface between them, the better the world will be.

🌍 🔬 Sir Peter Gluckman’s insights at the 2024 World Science Forum offer valuable lessons on how building trust in the health and medical sciences demands scientific modesty and respect of other knowledge systems. Here are five key takeaways: 1️⃣ Rebuilding trust through modesty: Public trust in science is in decline, compounded by the politicization of scientific advice during crises like COVID-19. Fostering trust means acknowledging uncertainties, avoiding overconfidence, and ensuring transparency in policy-driven research. 2️⃣ A holistic, interdisciplinary approach: COVID-19 exposed the pitfalls of a narrow disciplinary focus. Economic, social, and behavioral sciences must be integrated with biomedical research to address complex challenges. Policymakers must prioritize interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle issues like mental health, health equity, and pandemic preparedness. 3️⃣ Training scientists for societal engagement: Scientific training sometimes has gaps in areas including ethics, the philosophy of science, and engagement with diverse knowledge systems. Incorporating these elements into medical and health science curricula can better prepare researchers to navigate societal and policy complexities. 4️⃣ Balancing short- and long-term thinking: Humanity’s default to short-termism hinders progress on pressing global challenges like climate change and health inequities. Policymakers and scientists must champion long-term, sustainable health policies, even when short-term economic considerations dominate political agendas. 5️⃣ Actionable knowledge for impact: Producing actionable knowledge that drives real-world change requires solutions-oriented research that bridges the gap between academia, government, and the private sector to create policies that improve lives. #SciencePolicy #HealthInnovation #HealthPolicy #MedicalPolicy #ResearchPolicy #InterdisciplinaryResearch #TrustInScience #KnowledgeSystems #ScienceDiplomacy #PandemicPreparedness #WorldScienceForum #WSF2024 International Science Council

New publication alert! The Real Aftermath: How COVID-19 Changed the Way Science Fiction is Conceived, Read, and Interpreted offers a scholarly exploration of how the global pandemic has influenced the evolution of science fiction as a genre. This volume takes a diverse and comparative approach, incorporating perspectives from Asia, Africa, and other global contexts. By examining how cultural narratives and regional experiences have shaped the post-pandemic imagination, the book provides critical insights into the intersection of global crises and speculative storytelling. My chapter argues that the convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate fiction, and the video game Death Stranding provides a unique perspective on global crises and the resilience of the human spirit. The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities and emphasized the importance of solidarity, while climate fiction urges a reexamination of humanity’s environmental impact. Death Stranding interweaves these themes, highlighting isolation, environmental decay, and the power of human connection, resonating deeply with players and inspiring reflections on building a more sustainable and interconnected future. Be sure to check it out! :) Let me know if you are interested, I can send you a copy! :)