Extreme heat events: Media communication with impact
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Rebecca Goulding, Ph.D.
Abstract
Media reporting plays a critical role in shaping public understanding of extreme heat events. Coverage of extreme heat influences how individuals respond to protect themselves from this growing climate change health threat. However, communicators face a range of challenges, including audience disengagement from repetitive messaging, limited newsroom resources, barriers to reaching diverse populations, and a lack of timely data, visuals, and access to experts. These obstacles can lead to underreporting or misrepresentation of extreme heat risks, particularly for those most at risk.
This presentation draws on interviews with 12 media professionals to explore the communication landscape surrounding extreme heat events. We will share key insights and practical strategies to improve reporting, including approaches that can help build public awareness, trust, and resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Speaker
Rebecca Goulding Ph.D. is an Environmental Health and Knowledge Translation Scientist at the NCCEH. Rebecca is involved in knowledge translation and mobilization of a range of environmental health topics, including climate change driven events such as extreme heat and emergency preparedness. Rebecca is an expert in evidence synthesis, systematic reviews, and medical science communication, with a strong background in health economics and outcomes research consulting. She has a PhD in Genetics from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Oncology and Hematology Research from Trinity College Dublin. Her interdisciplinary research experience includes a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, where she studied access to university-based innovation and intellectual property policy, as well as a role as a primary health care research associate in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC.
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