Despite widespread scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, caused primarily by humans,
and has the potential to cause severe ecological, social, and economic damage worldwide, governments
have largely been reluctant to take significant steps to reducing carbon emissions. The deficit model of
science communication posits that as the general public becomes more educated about climate change,
public opinion will move toward the scientific consensus. However, during the last 10 years – a period that
saw a significant increase in communication about climate change in the public sphere – political
polarization over the issue amplified significantly. We propose a program of research that moves beyond
the deficit model of science communication, and instead focuses on effective communication strategies
that may resonate across different political orientations and help build support for government action to
address climate change. The proposal draws primarily from the extended parallel process model (EPPM)
and literature on framing processes to investigate how the media has discussed the issue and what kinds
of narratives may be effective in overcoming selective perception and selective exposure that individuals
engage in. The benefits of the research program include the intellectual merit of furthering our knowledge
of how the EPPM and framing influence message reception in a contested political environment and the
broader social impacts of developing effective narratives that science communicators may use to create
scientifically informed messages that will resonate across a broad political spectrum.