Introduction: Dr. Mairead Hurley, School of Education, Trinity College Dublin

Speaker: Prof. Kris De Meyer, Climate Action Unit, University College London

Over the last several decades, science communication and engagement have made great strides in making science more relatable. It often does so by generating a sense of curiosity and wonder about science, or by speaking to 'me' - creating a connection from a scientific finding to people's lived experience.
Where we continue to struggle - collectively, as scientists but also as science engagement professionals - is when scientific findings clash with people's interest and values - the things they find important in life. In those situations, science can become controversial and polarising.
In this keynote, Prof. De Meyer will introduce insights from neuroscience and psychology that can help us to understand the controversy and polarisation that emerges around big societal problems like climate change, biodiversity loss, vaccine safety and the like.