In the Press
communication between scientists and the public is necessary for climate change action.
Scientists must find ways to elevate their voices in the climate conversation. They are a critical source for timely and accurate information. Here are some examples of how scientists in The Climate Consensus network are engaging with the press.
September 2022
Gisele Winckler, PhD
Faculty Mentor, Columbia University
“‘By using the Pliocene as an analog for modern global warming, it seems likely that the movement of the westerlies’ — the prevailing mid-latitude winds that blow from west to east — ‘towards the poles observed in the modern era will continue with further human-induced warming,’ says Gisela Winckler, a researcher at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory and an author of the Pliocene dust paper. Her models indicate ‘that the winds [will be] weaker, and stiller.’”
June 2022
Bryan Mark, PhD
Faculty Mentor, Ohio State University
“Ohio State’s Mark calls climate “a big ship to turn around,” noting the atmosphere is already front-loaded and carbon molecules are going to stay up there for generations.”
March 2022
Alix Contosta, PhD
Faculty Representative, University of New Hampshire
“‘It really depends on what we decide to do as a society to reduce emissions because the worst-case scenario is not inevitable,’ Contosta said.”
March 2022
Alix Contosta, PhD
Faculty Representative, University of New Hampshire
“This year’s particularly muddy mud season is likely due, at least in part, to the effects of climate change, Contosta said.”
February 2022
November 2021
Janel Hanrahan, PhD
Faculty Representative and Director, Northern Vermont University
“‘The trends we’re seeing on Lake Champlain, it’s not unique to Lake Champlain. We’re seeing it on water bodies all across the state and all across the northeast,’ Hanrahan said.”
Gisele Winckler, PhD
Faculty Mentor, Columbia University
“Wind patterns affect both how the oceans store heat and cycle carbon, and can have a dramatic impact on weather. ‘It’s particularly important because it determines precipitation,’ said Winckler, ‘which is perhaps the most important thing of all – where it rains, and how much it rains.’”
November 2021
Clark Evans, PhD
Faculty Mentor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
“.. Evans stated that the data points to global warming as a likely explanation for what might be causing this hotter weather.”
September 2021
Diana Bernstein, PhD
Faculty Representative, University of Southern Mississippi
“ ...extreme weather events like flash floods and hurricanes are linked to and worsened by climate change. So are the severe droughts and fires afflicting the West, as well as other disasters around the globe.”
Diana Bernstein, PhD
Faculty Representative, University of Southern Mississippi
“‘The most important takeaway is that climate change is now, certain, and it’s here,’ says Diana Bernstein, a climate scientist at the University of Southern Mississippi.”
August 2021
Janel Hanrahan, PhD
Faculty Representative and Director, Northern Vermont University
“We are now able to directly attribute human activity to extreme events ... like heatwaves, extreme precipitation, stronger hurricanes, and more intense wildfires.”