Truman Center for National Policy will host a virtual event to discuss strategies for better communicating the impacts of climate change and its effect on national security. 

February 24th, 2022

WASHINGTON D.C. -  On March 2nd, at 1:00 pm EST, Truman Center for National Policy (501)(c)(3) will host a virtual event entitled: Communicating the Climate Crisis: Don’t Look Up & (Dis)Information in a Distracted World. This event will explore the impact of Netflix’s Academy Award nominated film Don’t Look Up and strategies for effectively communicating climate risks and policy responses.

Truman is committed to incorporating fresh thinking and diverse perspectives into the conversation on climate change and national security. This event will expand Truman’s work on the multifaceted climate and energy security landscape throughout the United States and the search for policies that meet this critical moment. 

Alexandra (Xander) Meise, Visiting Senior Fellow on Climate and Energy at the Truman Center for National Policy, will moderate the event. Xander will be joined by:

• Adam McKay, Screenwriter/Director of Don’t Look Up

Adam McKay is an Academy Award winning screenwriter and filmmaker. His most recent work includes The Big Short (2015), Vice (2018), Don’t Look Up (2021) and Succession. Formerly, he worked as a member of the mainstage cast at Second City in Chicago and as the head writer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live. McKay’s Hyperobject Industries produces wide-ranging projects from comedies, dramas, horror, podcasts, documentaries and docu-series, that cover politically charged and challenging subjects with which he has become synonymous. 

• Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor

Gina McCarthy is the first National Climate Advisor—the president's chief advisor on domestic climate policy—and leads the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy focused on mobilizing a whole-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis, creating good-paying, union jobs, and securing environmental justice. Previously, she served as 13th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and then as President and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). One of the nation’s most trusted and accomplished voices on climate issues, she has been at the forefront of environmental and public health progress in a variety of leading roles for over three decades.  

• Dr. Marshall Shepherd, Meteorologist & Professor at the University of Georgia. 

Dr. Marshall Shepherd is a leading international expert in weather and climate and is a Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia. He is a member of the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program and Associate Director for Climate and Outreach in the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS).

The panel will address actions that scientists, policymakers and concerned citizens can take to better communicate existential concerns, combat disinformation, and mitigate the effects of climate change. 

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“Don't Look Up has done what years of scientific articles, government reports, and print media pieces have not - made the imminent threats of climate change to our collective security a topic of pop culture and dinner table conversation,” said Xander Meise, Senior Climate Fellow, Truman Center for National Policy. “On behalf of Truman Center, I am thrilled to moderate this discussion and support innovative messaging tools that urge policymakers to adopt ‘whole of society’, security-conscious responses to the climate crisis.”‍

We hope you will join us for this timely and vital conversation.

Registration can be found here, and the event will be live-streamed on the Truman Center’s LinkedIn page. 
For further information and press queries please contact: communications@trumancnp.org 

Truman Center for National Policy