Communicating Climate Change and Health

Overview

How can you persuasively discuss the negative effects of climate change on human health to motivate change in your community? How do you encourage your friends, family, neighbors and community leaders to take meaningful action to address these impacts? In this course, you will learn to communicate the health-related risks of climate change effectively to the public and policymakers and motivate positive changes in climate-related behaviors. Starting with a review of best practices in health risk communication, the course examines the specific challenges of climate change communication and successful strategies to address these challenges. Throughout the course, you will build a step-by-step plan for developing and delivering a communications campaign.

Syllabus

Welcome to Communicating Climate Change and Health

In this course, you will learn to communicate the health-related risks of climate change effectively to the public and policymakers and motivate positive changes in climate-related behaviors. Starting with a review of best practices in health risk communication, the course examines the specific challenges of climate change communication and successful strategies to address these challenges. Throughout the course, you will build a step-by-step plan for developing and delivering a communications campaign.

introduction to Communicating Climate Change

Who is our target audience, and what do they believe about climate change and health? What are the barriers to communicating our message to different audiences? There are several external videos and readings for you to review prior to watching the course lecture videos.

Understanding & Communicating with the Audience: Cognitive Approaches

What does our audience already know, feel and do about climate change? How can we expand their understanding and change behaviors? Please review the external resource prior to watching the course lecture videos.

Understanding & Communicating with the Audience: Affective Approaches

How do moral and cultural values affect beliefs and behaviors related to climate change? How do we frame messages to effectively teach and connect with our audiences? We recommend that you review the external resources prior to watching the course lecture videos

Social Influence and Sticky Messages

How can we use the power of social influence in climate change messaging? How can we apply all of the concepts we’ve learned to creating a message that sticks with our audience? We recommend that you review the external resources prior to watching the course lecture videos.