Science Communication and Global Change  

Scientific publications about global changes (i.e., global warming, ozone depletion, and acid precipitation) and their effects (e.g., drought, UV-B radiation exposure, and fish kills) often convey four misimpressions to the reader: (1) A global change occurs at some specific time. (2) A global change occurs uniformly around the world. (3) Change occurs only unidirectionally. (4) Change occurs at a constant rate. These mistaken impressions result largely from how the results are presented and described. Therefore, technical communicators should be aware of the possibility of such misrepresentations and subsequent misinterpretations. They should recognize the complexity of the subject matter, convey to the reader an element of that complexity and its ramifications, and strive to present an accurate view of the processes involved when writing about the results of global-change research.

O'Hara, Frederick M., Jr. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Scientific Communication>International