Brossard appointed to climate change advisory committee

University of Wisconsin-Madison Life Sciences Communication professor and chair Dominique Brossardhas been appointed to an advisory committee that will oversee the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s newly announced Climate Communications Initiative (CCI).

LSC chair Dominique Brossard
LSC chair Dominique Brossard – Photo: Kyle Cassidy

“The National Academies have a vast library of authoritative information to help everyone from savvy citizens to responsible decision makers understand, prepare, and respond to climate change,” said Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.  “This initiative facilitates access to that storehouse to help protect the many sectors of human investment from unnecessary surprises.”

The CCI aims to coordinate efforts across the Academies to address public questions about climate change, develop innovative approaches for communicating and disseminating climate information to military, corporate, and civic leaders so that they can responsibly lead their organizations and communities, and provide easy access to evidence-based findings and explanations of climate change to various audiences.

As a member of the multidisciplinary committee, Brossard, an internationally known expert in communication about controversial scientific issues, will join 16 other experts from across the country who represent a variety of sectors and stakeholders, including government, industry, communications, and academia. Together they will develop a strategic plan for the initiative and provide guidance in implementing the plan.

This is not the first time Brossard has worked with the Academies on important issues facing the nation. From 2014-2016, Brossard served on a committee that investigated a range of issues related to genetically engineered crops; from 2015-2016, she served on another committee that examined scientific literacy and the public perception of science.

Adapted from a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine press release