1:10 p.m. | Updated I recently attended a gathering of scientists, communicators and information technologists at Google’s headquarters. The core participants were 21 Google Science Communication Fellows, a batch of accomplished researchers who were invited to come brainstorm and then seek grants for projects that employ “technology, new media and computational thinking” in the communication of climate science to diverse audiences.  The challenge they face is accentuated by the latest report out today from the “Six Americas” survey tracking Americans’ views of human-driven climate change. The survey has found nearly everyone falls into one of six groups:  There’s been some migration among the various camps. I’m a big fan of this survey, but don’t see much significance in short-term shifts. As I’ve asserted many times, views on global warming seem like water sloshing in a shallow pan — a lot of movement, no depth (and thus no determination to act).  Setting aside the short-term shifts in attitudes, some survey findings that are highly relevant to the efforts by Google and its fellows were summarized by the survey team this way:  If given the chance to talk to an expert on global warming, the Alarmed and Concerned would most like to know what the nations of the world can do to reduce global warming, and if there’s still time to do so. The Disengaged would most like to ask whether global warming is actually occurring, and what harm it will cause. The Cautious, Doubtful and Dismissive would most like to have an expert explain how scientists know that global warming is happening and is caused by human activities.  Scientific Agreement: While approximately 97% of publishing climate scientists agree that climate change is occurring and that it is caused primarily by human activities, this high level of scientific agreement is understood by only 44 percent of the Alarmed, 18 percent of the Concerned, 12 percent of theCautious, and 5 percent or fewer of the Disengaged, Doubtful and Dismissive.  I was at the Google meeting to present my view of the challenges and opportunities confronting anyone trying to convey the climate and energy challenges attending humanity’s growth spurt in ways that are both accurate and captivating:  I stressed the importance of understanding social science pointing to powerful forces that predispose how people absorb the same information. I dug in on missteps by the media, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate campaigners and on the communication advantage held by those fighting action to advance non-polluting energy choices. I closed by exploring the great potential in using Web-based tools to tell the story of science in new ways. Have a look and weigh in.  [1:05 p.m. | Updated | Google, of course, has invested significantly in renewable energy technologies, and has promoted a big push on energy innovation. So its push on climate communication has to be looked at with that in mind. Over all, I saw the meeting as relatively free of agendas and mainly focused on making information matter.]  This is how Google organized the meeting:  I was absolutely fascinated to hear from Messina, the young man who invented the Twitter #hashtag (before heading to Google) as a kind of virtual “portkey” (those enchanted objects in the Harry Potter saga that allowed a group to travel together). Anyone spending time living on the Web would do well to listen to the talk by Daniel Russell, Google’s resident expert in “search literacy” (a vital skill set in the information age).  Here’s a must-watch primer on Crafting Your Story in the Digital World presented by three Googlers, a YouTube evangelist (YouTube is owned by Google), and Will Luers, who teaches about creative media and digital culture at Washington State University, Vancouver:  I’ll keep track of any resulting projects as this effort moves forward.
Google engages with climate scientists to develop new communication tools and techniques for fostering comprehension of climate and energy issues.