Sorry, Wrong Number: The Use and Misuse of Numerical Facts in Analysis and Media Reporting of Energy Issues

Koomey, Jonathan; Calwell, Chris; Laitner, Skip; Thornton, Jane S; Brown, Richard E.; Eto, Joseph H.; Webber, Carrie A.; Cullicott, Cathy

doi:10.1146/annurev.energy.27.122001.083458

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…For instance, Wilson (46) and other researchers have recognized the key role that television weathercasters play in the communication of a range of science and environment issues. Other examples include agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified food (47)(48)(49), climate change (50-54), earthquakes (55), energy (56), hazardous waste (57), nanotechnology (58)(59), nuclear power (60-61), environment and public health (e.g., global bird flu) (62), the autism vaccines controversy (63), natural hazards and disasters (35,64), and stratospheric ozone depletion (65). The majority of these studies examined print media coverage, whereas others sought to examine television news (64,(66)(67)(68)(69) and radio news coverage (70).…”

Section: A Brief Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

We Speak for the Trees: Media Reporting on the Environment

Boykoff

2009

Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.

136

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This review article surveys the role of the media in communicating environmental issues. Media representations-from news to entertainment-provide critical links between formal environmental science and politics and the realities of how people experience and interact with their environments. People abundantly turn to media-such as television, newspapers, magazines, radio, and Internet-to help make sense of the many complexities relating to environmental science and governance that (un)consciously shape our lives. I examine how multiscale factors have shaped media coverage in complex, dynamic, and nonlinear ways. These inquiries are situated in historical context as well as in larger processes of cultural politics and environmental change. Discussions here also touch on how media portrayals influence ongoing public understanding and engagement. Connections between media information and behaviors are not straightforward, as coverage does not determine engagement. Nonetheless, this article explores how media reports influence the spectrum of possibilities for different forms of environmental governance. 431 Annu. Rev. Environ. Resourc. 2009.34:431-457. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org Access provided by Western Michigan University on 02/03/15. For personal use only.

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Section: A Brief Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

We Speak for the Trees: Media Reporting on the Environment

Boykoff

2009

Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.

136

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“…Some may object: should academics seek this sort of influence? There is, and perhaps always will be, debate about the appropriate role for academics in the public sphere (see, e.g., Jordan 2007; Koomey et al. 2002, 151‐2; Reid 2001; Rowe 2005).…”

Section: Why Are Op‐eds Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influencing Public Policy: An Analysis of Published Op‐Eds by Academics

Sommer

Maycroft

2008

Politics & Policy

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Academics who seek to influence public policy often overlook one of the most valuable tools of influence: op‐ed essays in important daily newspapers. Op‐eds enable academics to bring their perspective and expertise beyond the usual reach of academic circles and into the public sphere. Through an analysis of 366 articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Star‐Ledger of Newark in 2006, this article examines how academics can more successfully enter the op‐ed pages. We analyze 15 characteristics of a successful op‐ed, providing background information on the people and institutions most often published and ten recommendations to guide academics toward a better position from which to influence policy debates. We argue that timeliness, agreement with the editorial page, readability, and an understanding of the target newspaper are essential to op‐ed publication and an expansion of academics’ influence over public policy.

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“…Data such as environmental impact analysis or carbon footprints include many assumptions and modeled data, it has uncertainties and it may not be relevant for the specific case at hand. This is challenging to present and the quantitative data may lead to a false sense of exactness, as it is argued by Koomey et al [38]. These uncertainties are not a specific problem of ICT4S, but a general problem in environmental system analysis such as LCAs, related to poor data quality, use of aggregated data and wrong assumptions [39].…”

Section: B Trusting Too Much On Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Blinded by data: The risks of the implicit focus on data in ICT for Sustainability

Zapico¹

2014

Proceedings of the 2014 Conference ICT for Sustainability

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Abstract-Sustainability is a normative concept, building on ideas such as justice, equity and responsibility, and based on human culture and society. Computers, internet, and the technologies that are central in our network society embed also normative values and are part of a cultural context. But the work looking at computer technologies and sustainability has been mostly oriented towards either calculating the impact of technology or using technology as a tool for solving practical problems. ICT is seen as a neutral system to be used or study, while the more normative aspects are mostly overlooked. This paper explores some of the problems arising from these overlooked normative values, such as focusing only on quantifiable problems while forgetting other aspects that may be as important but not easy to put in numbers, or trusting too much in numbers while hiding assumption and model choices. This paper suggests that more critical reflection on these questions is needed in the research area, as well as developing more connections with existing research on these topics in more traditional disciplines.

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Sorry, Wrong Number: The Use and Misuse of Numerical Facts in Analysis and Media Reporting of Energy Issues

Cited by 21 publications

References 13 publications

We Speak for the Trees: Media Reporting on the Environment

We Speak for the Trees: Media Reporting on the Environment

Influencing Public Policy: An Analysis of Published Op‐Eds by Academics

Blinded by data: The risks of the implicit focus on data in ICT for Sustainability

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