Book launch event, 2 Dec in Oxford! Talking climate – from research to practice in public engagement

We’ve got some exciting news: earlier in the year, we were approached by the leading publisher Palgrave MacMillan to write a book. And after many months of work, we’re proud to say we’ve completed it : Talking climate: from research to practice in public engagement will be published in the autumn - and given the current political climate, we feel it is more important than ever.

The book is both a definitive summary of the latest thinking on public engagement with climate change, and a statement of intent. It showcases the Climate Outreach philosophy, and makes the case for a fresh approach to climate change communication, based on widespread participatory engagement.

The question of how to communicate about climate change and build public engagement in high-consuming, carbon-intensive Western nations, has occupied researchers, practitioners, policy makers, campaigners and community organisers for more than two decades - and is the central focus of our work at Climate Outreach.

During this time, and mirroring the glacial pace at which international political negotiations have progressed, limited progress has been made. Socially and culturally, climate change remains (for the most part) the preserve of a committed band of activists. The ‘carbon footprints’ of many Western countries - and the citizens of these nations - remain high. The public conversation about the energy system is mainly focused on the costs of household energy bills. Public engagement is stuck in second gear, which leaves climate policies vulnerable to changing political winds.

The purpose of our book is to outline how public engagement with climate change can shift out of second gear. The pieces of the puzzle already exist to make this happen - in academic research and practitioner expertise – but a coherent new agenda for public engagement is required to make these pieces fit together. The five principles outlined in this book offer a fresh approach to a familiar problem. By spanning the full width of the space between primary academic research and applied practitioner strategies, we hope the book will be relevant for academics, educators, campaigners, communicators and practitioners.

Our book has now been published! It has released initially in e-book format and the print edition will publish on 19 November. Copies can be ordered here. 

For our Oxford friends: please join us for an evening of discussion and debate around the book on on 2 December - please let us know you're joining us and do check out and share our poster for the event!