Hello everybody,
please find some ideas for the panel discussion below in this post. The first question in the ‘guiding question’ section should be the guiding question itself whereas the other questions can be used to make the discussion more active if the panelists do not have anything else to say.
Guiding question
How should scientific uncertainty be treated in the public?
Should it be an aim/objective to avoid that scientific uncertainty is used as a potential target by climate change denialists?
Should uncertainty be ignored and scientific statements that are very likely to be true be represented as facts?
Would it help the public to be better informed about the term uncertainty?
Could not it even raise more doubts and confusion about the topic?
Would Climate Policies find more or less acceptance in the public if people were informed about the uncertainties involved in the science that is the base for policymaking?
Audience
The audience can be invited with the SICSS-mailing list. Additionally, there is a CEN-mailing list that can also be used to invite people. Maybe ‘Fachschaftsräte’ (Student Councils) of related fields can be contacted to spread the word among students.
To advertise the discussion it would be sufficient to write the guiding question (once we have agreed on one) an briefly introduce the three panelists (similar to the information about them that was given in this homework assignment).
Procedure
60 minutes – 30 minutes among panelists and moderators, 30 minutes to answer questions of the audience, if questions remain after 60 minutes, time can be extended
Audience will be requested to write questions in the chat. This should be announced at the beginning even though the questions will only be relevant in the second half of the panel discussion. It can be discussed whether people directly write to Sara/Clara or whether the question should be visible to everyone.
Panelists can directly respond to each other, if they want to comment/criticize/agree on a point of the others, with no need to raise their hands in order to have a more vivid discussion which is not interrupted by technicalities. This should be communicated by the moderators who should play a more passive role (with questions as a backup of course).
A ZOOM link can be distributed with the invitation.
Except for moderators and panelists everybody will be muted and turn the camera off to keep a clear focus on the people who have the discussion.