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Union of Concerned Scientists
It is my pleasure to nominate the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) for GMU’s 2011 Climate Change Communicators of the Year award. UCS is a science-based advocacy organization that works on environmental and security issues, as well as the role of science in public policy. The group works with nearly 20,000 scientists across the country on a range of issues, including climate change. After a year of unprecedented attacks on climate science, UCS effectively defended scientists against political attacks, communicated underlying climate science to the public and used innovative campaigns to debunk climate science misinformation and humanize climate scientists. It has become increasingly clear that climate scientists need the support of organizations like UCS to defend them when they are attacked and to improve their ability to communicate climate science findings to the public and policymakers. Among UCS’s accomplishments last year: UCS vigorously debunked claims against climate scientists related to emails stolen from the University of East Anglia. UCS regularly contacted journalists to improve their coverage and amplify mainstream science over manufactured controversy. (http://www.ucsusa.org/news/commentary/uk-scientists-must-comply-0341.html) UCS similarly defended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change when it was attacked. UCS conducted nearly a dozen online briefings with scientists to discuss best practices for communication as well as findings from recent National Academy of Sciences climate reports. In March, UCS organized more than 2,000 scientists and economists to call for science-based climate action in the U.S. Senate. (http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/nobel-prize-winning-0360.html) On a person note, in April when Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli demanded that the University of Virginia turn over all of my correspondences with more than 30 leading climate scientists, UCS organized more than 800 Virginia scientists and academics to condemn Cuccinelli’s misguided investigation. Its dogged efforts with journalists vastly improved media coverage of the lawsuit. (http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/abuses_of_science/va-ag-timeline.html) Also in April, UCS climate scientist Brenda Ekwurzel appeared on The Colbert Report opposite skeptical meteorologist Joe Bastardi. Colbert is a difficult interview, but Ekwurzel more than held her own, quickly winning the crowd to her side and emphasizing the main findings of climate science. (http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/setting-the-record-straight-colbert-report-ekwurzel-bastardi-0372.html) In July, UCS launched its “Curious for Life” ad campaign, which depicted climate researchers as curious children who translated their wonder for the natural world into scientific careers. The campaign received coverage on the New York Times’ website, USA Today and other outlets. (http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/curious-for-life-ad-campaign.html) In mid-December, UCS organized a series of meetings with journalists to discuss this history of climate denial with Naomi Oreskes, co-author of Merchants of Doubt. Throughout the year, UCS produced a series of stories about climate research findings related to the changing seasons. Participating scientists from NOAA, the CDC and other agencies, joined telephone press conferences UCS organized. UCS’s “Got Science” campaign has generated more than 30,000 letters to Rupert Murdoch, the head of NewsCorp, Fox News’ parent company, asking him to improve the network’s coverage of climate science. (http://www.ucsusa.org/action/GotScience/) For these and numerous other reasons, UCS is unusually deserving of this award. Nominated by: Michael E. Mann Professor Director, Earth System Science Center (ESSC) Pennsylvania State University |
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