Asking Different Questions in Climate Change Science, Impact, Mitigation and Adaptation

Asking Different Questions in Climate Change Science, Impact, Mitigation and Adaptation examines how integrating cultural and social literacies into research training for climate and environmental scientists can produce more ethical, effective, and relevant research. The project will test the hypothesis that training in understanding the relationship between environmental change and culture will produce scholars capable of engaging in research that addresses the disproportionate environmental impact on vulnerable and historically marginalized communities.

An expected outcome is that providing climate and environmental scientists with training in environmental justice, science & technology studies, indigenous studies, ethnic studies, and community-engaged research will elevate their capacities to be agents of ethical change. The result will be a diverse group of scientists engaged in research that addresses the challenges of climate change, mitigation and adaptation, while also producing greater social equity.

This project's objectives are to (1) create a customized training on equity and ethic challenges in climate science, (2) deliver these trainings in climate science graduate coursework across seven different departments, (3) engage in a comparative analysis to study their efficacy and (4) disseminate the training. A key measure of success for the program will be the achievement of learning objectives and students' level of engagement in questions of ethics and equity.

The study will contribute to research on the ethics engagement by examining the efficacy of an equity-oriented ethics training. The proposed training is likely to spur projects that reduce the impacts of climate change on under-resourced communities. The training may also contribute to cultural changes within scientific communities, which may help with the retention of women and underrepresented populations in climate science.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.