Why we do not just talk about our science

It is not easy to communicate science, and it is especially difficult from environmental research. Most findings we make are rather directly connected to every day lifes and thus human wellbeing. As a consequence, people tend to assess such research based on their personal feelings, desires, and - in particular - concerns. This can lead to misunderstandings that produce even stronger opinions and are hence even more difficult to solve.

We environmental researchers seem to react with avoidance: before we do something wrong, we do not do anything at all in terms of communicating our science. Thomas Backhaus and I wrote an Editorial in Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management on "Communicating environmental science to the general public", where we shortly analyse this situation and the associated problems and try to encourage our colleagues to anyway take on the challenge.