Climate scientists are more credible when they practice what they preach [View all]

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.springer.com/gp/about-springer/media/springer-select/climate-scientists-are-more-credible-when-they-practice-what-they-preach/10266932

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Climate scientists are more credible when they practice what they preach[/font]

[font size=4]People are more willing to take advice from climate researchers who reduce their own carbon footprint[/font]

Heidelberg | New York, 16 June 2016

[font size=3]Americans are more likely to follow advice about personal energy use from climate scientists who minimize their own carbon footprint, according to Shahzeen Attari of Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She and her team used two large online surveys to determine that scientists should practice what they preach if they want their advice on reducing energy use to have greater credibility. Their findings are published in Springer’s journal Climatic Change.

Personal attacks on climate experts and advocates are not uncommon when it comes to their own behavior. For example, environmentalist and former vice president Al Gore was criticized for home energy use that far exceeded the national average.

Attari and her team conducted the online surveys with about 3,000 Americans to see the impact of the researchers’ credibility on their messages and advice. Participants were randomly presented with fictional vignettes about a climate expert presenting a talk on how an individual’s actions can collectively have a large impact on the environment.

The surveys began with a baseline narrative: a leading climate researcher is giving a talk about the merits of reducing air travel and lowering the amount of energy used in the home. The researcher gives advice to the audience on how they can reduce their own energy use.

…[/font][/font]