Communicating Science

October 6th, 2023 was the 20th International Weather and Climate Forum. This event brought together those that work in and are impacted by climate change including scientists, meteorologists, farmers, agricultural experts, and members of the media to discuss a pertinent issue: communication barriers in climate change. Communicators, farmers, and climate experts work in almost a parallel fashion. How can complex scientific information be conveyed succinctly for the general public while still remaining factual and detailed?

All of this plays a role in integrating adaptation in words and actions. Valérie Masson-Delmotte, research director at CEA, reminded attendees that the discussion is moving past combating climate change and moving towards specific measures that need to be taken. Understanding the issues and what is at stake is important for the general public so that they are able to measure the weight of the solutions proposed. 

What does this mean for finres? Adaptation is our goal, and science, machine learning, and AI are at the heart of our work. We deal with complex information daily, all with the end goal to make agriculture more resilient to climate change. Indeed, we have experienced firsthand the issues of communicating our solutions; that is why we are working with journalists and others in the communications field to take our data and results and find the right way to put them into words so that they can be understood by all audiences.

While we have partners and clients across a variety of industries, ultimately what we do is aimed towards farmers. Forum discussions with speakers that are impacted by climate change today highlighted the importance of implementing them not only in our communication strategies, but also in our general projects. We strive to understand the needs and wants of farmers in order to execute tasks that will be more beneficial to those most impacted in agriculture. That aside, changing the way we share information for farmers to better understand the science behind our adaptation solutions is vital to the resilient transition of agriculture.

For Camille, Vhiny, and Jeehane, the finres team that attended the Forum, the sessions sparked some very necessary thinking on our ability to communicate about our models, tech, use of science, and proposed adaptation solutions moving forward. As conversations around climate change focus on prioritizing solutions, the importance of having all actors involved onboard is a vital component. Awareness is just the first step, and tailoring the science behind adaptation to be understood and valued by all audiences is a tool for experts that must be utilized. Moving forward, a continuous dialogue between scientists, economists, farmers, media, and other stakeholders will be essential for decision-making in resilience.