Using social science in National Park Service climate communications: A case study in the National Capital Region

Abstract

have partnered on a collaborative "research-to-practice" internship program that employs undergraduate and graduate-level students to produce interdisciplinary, science-based climate change communication products for parks in the NPS National Capital Region (NCR). Materials created through this program are rooted in social science insights (e.g., trusted sources, social norms, place-based learning), climate science, and the communication needs of participating regional parks. As a result, the end products (e.g. websites, videos, ranger toolkits) produced by this program fulfill many functions: increasing public awareness of climate impacts on park resources, nurturing the connection between people and places, meeting evolving interpretation demands by developing material for a variety of channels, effectively engaging visitors in climate dialogue, and helping parks lead by example by addressing how a changing climate can alter cultural, natural, historical, and recreational resources. The success, adaptability, and longevity of this program have provided NCR parks with a wealth of innovative products that support the park stewardship mission to preserve resources for future generations. Five examples will demonstrate the breadth of work undertaken by interns.

Climate Change and Six Americas: What Can Behavior Analysts Do?

“…Academic settings and other climate change drivers (Hanus et al, 2018;Neumann et al, 2022;Taylor et al, 2018) have adopted the Six Americas approach. In addition, numerous climate change influencers (e.g., government agencies, notfor-profit organizations, private corporations, the news, and media; Campbell et al, 2020) use the Six Americas to target audiences and tailor their work and communication content for climate change interventions. Finally, behavior analysts may benefit from using this framework.…”