New Canaan Library and UN Committee Of New Canaan Present Perspectives: Understanding Climate Change Through Art and Conversation

New Canaan Library and the UN Committee of New Canaan are pleased to present a unique and compelling look at the topic of climate change, with a dual presentation by Abel Gustafson, PhD, from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and Melissa Fleming, MFA, and member of International Environmental Communication Association. The lecture will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library’s Adrian Lamb Room. Please register for this program online at newcanaanlibrary.org.

Scientists are fully in agreement and the solutions are ready-and-waiting. At this point, addressing climate change is now primarily a question of shifting hearts and minds. The ball is in the court of the average citizen of the world.

So where do Americans stand on this issue? And, how can we open up discussion, create more engagement andultimately, and ultimately, more action? These questions and more have been tackled by Dr. Abel Gustafson and his colleagues at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Dr. Gustafson’s talk, “Your Opinion Matters: Americans’ Views on Climate Change” will cover this aspect of the issue.

Melissa Fleming, MFA, is a member of International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) among other organizations. She will lend her perspective on exploring climate change through the visual mediums. “Climate Communication: Using Art to Get Beyond the Numbers” is an objective, interdisciplinary talk that blends science and art. Ms. Fleming will review results of a poll she conducted, showing how art helps to broaden the public conversation on climate change. Artworks by artists from around the world working in a variety of mediums will be presented, illustrating the assorted impacts of this critical issue and its possible solutions.

ABEL GUSTAFSON’s research develops more effective strategies for communicating science topics to the public. At the Yale Program for Climate Change Communication, Abel is helping to discover which messaging strategies are most effective when presenting information about climate change to various segments of the public. Abel received his PhD from the University of California – Santa Barbara, his MA from the University of Hawaii, and his BA from the University of Minnesota – Duluth.
MELISSA FLEMING received an MFA from the Parsons School of Design and a science-based Master Naturalist Certificate from Cornell University. She is a member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA), and serves as a Mentor with the Climate Reality Project. She lives and works in New York City.