date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 15:02:13 +0100
from: "Trudie Dockerty" <t.dockerty@uea.ac.uk>
subject: spreading the word
to: "Mike Hulme" <m.hulme@uea.ac.uk>

Dear Mike

I've been to a few disappointing meetings recently, where I have found it
hard to get a hearing for climate change issues.

The latest meeting was a series of workshops held by a landscape ecology
forum (academics and government agency representatives), which were supposed
to consider how future 'whole landscape planning' could be achieved.  It
failed to do this, with as usual, the natural scientists considering
landscape only from an ecological viewpoint, the social scientists having a
wider perspective but with no real 'research and practice' agenda
materialising.  Although I pushed the need to consider climate change along
with socio-economic influences on future landscapes, it is very
disappointing that the natural scientists in particular, insist on holding
on to the uncertainties in climate change projections as a valid reason for
not considering the issue.  I did put the point however, that what also
should be considered is that whilst there is a range of uncertainty there is
also good agreement between the projections made by different climate
models.  It seems there remains a great deal of work in convincing those
outside of the climate change community that even if they do not feel
confident to go to the stage of policy preparations to mitigate against
climate change because of 'uncertainties', that they should now be
evaluating the risks and the 'worst case' potential impacts.

Is mine a typical experience or an unusual one?  I often feel ill-equiped to
provide a proper synopsis of the most important issues to get across.
Without wishing to instigate a 'climate change evangelical' organisation I'm
wondering - could Tyndall host a 'workshop' or lunchtime seminar on the
theme of -

disseminating climate change information: what should we and what shouldn't
we
be telling our decision makers and the public?

It would be good to have some confidence on what messages to take to the
non-climate research community.

regards


Trudie


*********************************
Dr. Trudie Dockerty
Senior Research Associate
Climate Change Impacts - Landscape

Jackson Environment Institute
University of East Anglia
Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

Tel: +44 (0) 1603 592583
Fax: +44 (0) 1603 593896
Web: http://www.jei.uea.ac.uk
*********************************

