Federica Ferrari

Tuesday 12 April: Persuasion Problems

Persuasion problems:

Why communication about the climate and sustainability often fails

Prof. Michael Burke

University College Roosevelt/Utrecht University

Climate change has been labelled 'the largest science communication failure in history’ (CBS News, December 2015). How did this happen? And, more importantly, what can be done to address it? … Turn on your TV or watch your news feeds …. There you will see armies of climate change scientists trying to convince people with actual science, using evidence such as melting glaciers, raging forest fires, rising sea levels, endangered polar bears, etc. This line of persuasion clearly has a problem. Experts hope that by painting a grim picture of the future people will change their behaviours. However, for many it may actually have the opposite effect. Drawing on the work of Stoknes (2015) and Marshall (2015), this interactive PhD lecture/seminar will look in finer detail at the rhetorical and persuasion strategies at work in this clash between the two realities of climate change on the one hand and human nature on the other.

The lecture will be in presence (and online), introduced by Federica Ferrari and open to all PhD. and Master students, as well as colleagues. All other interested people are welcome.

Sala Convegni del Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Moderne, Via Cartoleria 5, Bologna (4-6 pm), Link evento [https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MTQ0MTU0ZWMtZGFhMi00MzAyLTg1ZDctZWM0ZjExZTYxMjhm%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22e99647dc-1b08-454a-bf8c-699181b389ab%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22d07d4ede-bb27-4e4a-b925-bdaab8b47e5e%22%7d]

Pubblicato il: 06 aprile 2022