Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication - Part 1

Speaker: Taina Litwak (featured) and Fiona Martin

During the pandemic, five GNSI members (Kalliopi Monoyios, Kirsten Carlson, Taina Litwak, Tania Marien, and Fiona Martin) coauthored article about visual climate science communication, published in an open-access book by Springer. We’ll delve into our process behind the article, and our analysis of what is working and what is not. As SciComm professionals, we have a unique opportunity to transcend language and cultural barriers, learning differences, and knowledge or skill gaps.

Well-designed visuals can deepen engagement, combat climate issues fatigue, improve decision-making, and encourage people to act in a way that makes sense to them and their community. Taina, a Science Illustrator recently with USDA and Fiona, Graphic Artist and Science Illustrator at The Seattle Time will discuss visual science career paths with communication teams in academia, government, and formal and informal education and the growing need for illustrations and visualizations of climate science. They will break down some practical strategies for creating more effective, engaging climate visuals, and how to represent abstract, often invisible processes. They will share examples of successful (and unsuccessful) climate graphics, as well as opportunities for collaboration.