Overview

The focus of the 2005 Arctic Forum was: "Arctic Climate Change and Public Literacy: What's at Stake?"

Presentations from a diverse range of perspectives addressed topics such as:

  • Current science on arctic climate change and future scenarios
  • Public perception of arctic climate change
  • Communication strategies and their effectiveness
  • The role of the research community in public literacy

The Forum was co-chaired by Dr. Stephanie Pfirman of the Department of Environmental Science at Barnard College and Dr. Bruce Forbes of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland.

Reception

The annual banquet was replaced by a special reception featuring a Greenlandic exhibition, posters on arctic research, buffet, and a hosted bar. The exhibition included a talk by the Honorable Henriette Rasmussen, Greenland Minister for Culture, Education, Research, and Church, and a special presentation by the Aavaat Choir. The Aavaat Choir sings both traditional and modern Greenlandic music and performed in their national costume.

Celebrating Greenland

A two-day event celebrating Greenland followed the 17th Annual Meeting on 20-22 May 2005 at the Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC. This event was organized by the Directorate of Culture, Education, Research and Church, Nuuk, Greenland; The Arctic Studies Center, National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian; and The Royal Danish Embassy, Washington, D.C.

2005 Arctic Forum Volume

The volume of abstracts from the 2005 Arctic Forum are available below in PDF format.

PDF iconDownload (PDF - 2.1 MB)

Arctic Forum Agenda (PDF - 16 KB) Council Forum Agenda (PDF - 15 KB)
Abstracts

List of Abstracts

Reporting Climate Change - The Front Line

Richard Black1
1Environment Correspondent, British Broadcasting Company (BBC), UK, richard.black [at] bbc.co.uk



For scientists working with climate and global change, the media can be a source of immense frustration. It does not always put 'the message' across as scientists would want; reporting is frequently perceived as unbalanced; key details are often missed. Yet without the media, how can the scientific case be made to the public - which may then