Courtesy of YSE

If you like chocolate, you should care about climate change. 

That’s what Yale professor Anthony Leiserowitz likes to say. Leiserowitz is the director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, a climate change lab with varied projects:  ranging from national surveys capturing the views of Americans on climate change, to consulting services for international governments on how best to engage individuals with this field.

One of YPCCC’s many projects is the American Mind survey, which has led to the production of the Six Americas, which analyzes American views on climate change. This project encircles understanding why people respond to the threat of climate change the way they do, whether that be for psychological, cultural or political reasons. Through this, YPCCC aims to find the best ways to help groups — whether governments, companies, museums, teachers or the public — understand climate change.

Everyone views climate change differently for various reasons, according to Leiserowitz. Communicating the science of climate change in Leiserowitz’s view, requires different modes of communication.

“How do you frame the message? In other words, it’s climate change, an environmental issue. Is it a health issue? A political issue? Is it a scientific issue? Is it a faith and religion issue? Of course, it’s all of those,” Leiserowitz told the News.

One way Leiseriwitz educates people on climate change is through a daily radio program, Yale Climate Connections. This program broadcasts a one and a half minute story every weekday, discussing climate change, its risks and examples of solutions. This is played on over 750 radio stations in the U.S, sharing almost 3,000 stories over the past 10 years and gaining 57 million annual listens.

The team doesn’t just involve scientists: it ranges from students to radio presenters to data analysts. Its projects are some of the most varied of any lab at the University. Their work spans international waters, from China to Ireland to Brazil and back, with 192 countries engaged in total.

“Dr. Leiserowitz understood, almost before anyone else, that we would not be able to address climate change without building public and political will. His work on climate change communication was and continues to be field-defining,” Yale School of the Environment Dean Indy Burke said. “YSE and Yale benefit enormously from having this unique, highly influential research center within our school and university.” 

When Leiserowitz first started out at Yale in 2007, it was only him and one other person at YPCCC — the program has now grown to be over 100 people, both staff and students.

Leiserowitz began his career studying international relations and nuclear policy, with no plan to face climate issues in favor of facing, assumedly, international nuclear issues.

“But, six months before I graduated with an undergraduate degree, the Berlin Wall came down. My international relations degree turned history degree like that,” he said as he clicked his fingers.

Life led him to Aspen, Colorado, where he landed a job at the Aspen Global Change Institute. The institute, among other functions, held two week long climate science-related conferences. He told the News that seeing the way climate change was discussed by natural sciences scientists frustrated him.

“The reason we have climate change is because of people. So, the solution is probably not in the natural sciences. The main solution is understanding, what is it about people that get us into these problems in the first place, that can get us out of these problems?” Leiserowitz told the News.

After four years at the Aspen Global Change Institute,  Leiserowitz took  matters into his own hands, completing a doctorate in environmental science studies and policy at the University of Oregon. Leiserowitz has now spent over 30 years in the field of climate change communication.

Colleagues, such as Marija Verner, a postdoctoral associate at the Yale School of the Environment, describe Leiserowitz positively.

“He is a great listener, funny, humble, extremely well-rounded, a person with wide interests and knowledge. I think he epitomizes what we nowadays call an interdisciplinary scientist. He really popularized the field and has been bringing it to the mainstream ever since,” said Verner.

However, Leiserowitz’s work is not finished. According to Leiserowitz, there are roughly two billion people who know little to nothing about climate change. Leiserowitz believes these are the most vulnerable populations. He told the News that often, these people contribute the least to climate change yet face the worst of the consequences.

Despite Leiserowitz’s honorable intentions to help people understand climate change, Pearl Marvell, features editor of Yale Climate Connections, told the News of the death threats that Leiserowitz has received during his career.

“He has the ability to really maintain that calm that one needs in a leader. Personally, I couldn’t do that,” said Marvell. “There’s plenty of wonderful climate change communicators out there, but the way that he is able to do that is truly a talent.”

Leiserowitz finished off our conversation by explaining how incredible he finds this job, working with passionate staff and students.

“This doesn’t get said enough, is how fun this is!” he said. “The way we address this together, not as individuals.”

The Yale School of Environment is located at 195 Prospect St.