Communicating ocean acidification across barriers: Stories and strategies from a year around the world

• Main Author: Valauri-Orton, Alexis
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2014
• Subjects: Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology; New Zealand; Norway; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2014ssec/Day2/179; https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1305&context=ssec

Between July 2012-2013, I traveled on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship studying how human communities in Norway, Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Peru might be affected by ocean acidification. I interviewed, lived and worked with hundreds of members of marine dependent communities, investigating how they valued resources threatened by ocean acidification. The vast majority of the community members I worked with had no knowledge of ocean acidification and poor ocean literacy. Thus, I developed tools to communicate and contextualize this complex science issue across language and cultural barriers. I found the best method of communication was to explain the science of ocean acidification in a personalized, narrative format, drawing from the lives of my audience to make connections between ocean acidification and resources and practices they value. In order to do this, I needed to listen carefully to the needs and concerns of each community. In this talk, I will share examples of how I did this in a variety of communities, ranging from Seventh Day Adventists in the Cook Islands to scallop farmers in Peru.