Communicating the Natural World: Dr Helen Czerski on Science, Geography, and Public Engagement

What inspired you to focus on climate communication, and how has your time at UCL shaped your approach?

“Fundamentally, I’m just really interested in how the world works. That’s the theme that has run throughout everything I’ve done in both science and the media. But my Mum was a very enthusiastic member of Friends of the Earth when I was a kid, so I was brought up thinking about how humans treat the natural world. I started recycling schemes in my school and I persuaded them to give me a “green” noticeboard which I filled with information about campaigns and volunteering opportunities. So, I was an early starter, I guess!

“The need for action has only grown since then. But now I think that there’s a critical role to play in framing the way we understand the world. Scientists have the privilege of really seeing how complex and interconnected the natural world is on a daily basis, but many people only get fragments of that picture and then it’s hard for them to prioritise ideas. Everyone needs some frameworks (and it is frequently more than one) to help them make sense of it all, and that’s the focus of a lot of my work now.  

“You would expect a doctor to understand the basics of how the whole human body functions, even if they’re just treating your kidneys. We need to get society up to speed with helpful frameworks for how to think about the whole of the natural world for the same reason, so that they can make constructive decisions about the future. I love UCL because it’s full of people who take discussion seriously and say yes to exploration, and that sort of attitude is really important.” 

What do you think makes Geography such a vital subject in tackling global challenges like climate change? 

“I’m not a Geographer, so I always find it hard to know where the limits of “geography” are (although perhaps I should know by now!). It seems to include almost everything. The thing that really stands out to me is that geography is about studying a holistic view of the world, including both physical and social considerations. That’s a critical feature that’s often missed, and it is perhaps the most essential feature of any proposed routes forward.

"The world is complicated so there’s a tendency to limit ‘solutions’ to technologies or ideas with a very narrow focus, and maybe that’s what you need at the point of solving that technical problem. But before they can be let out into the world or scaled up, they must be stress-tested against all the other considerations that weren’t part of that technical development. That seems to me to be where Geography is essential.” 

As co-host of BBC Radio 4’s Rare Earth, what’s the most surprising or inspiring story you’ve encountered during your work? 

“The great thing about Rare Earth is that we get to look at the history, culture and philosophy of an issue as well as the more obvious nuts and bolts of it, rather than being limited to a narrow view of ‘problem’ and ‘solution’. My current favourite might be from the programme we did about microbes. We had a farmer, Sarah Langford, in the studio and she showed us a WhatsApp group where all the farmers in her local area were continually posting proud pictures of their soil microbes and discussing how to enrich the microbiome of their soil even more.  

“That shows how much democratising technology and knowledge (in this case, a microscope and some microbe identification tools) can accelerate action and also allow people to really relate to a problem that they can address. On a less serious note, we learned that there is a species of owl called the “flammulated owl” (because it’s “flame-coloured”), and I love that!” 

What advice would you give to students or early-career researchers interested in combining science with public communication? 

“For a scientist, it's got to start from robust science. I have always hated the phrase ‘science communicator’ for several reasons. We don’t have ‘history communicators’, for example. It lets people forget that the base expertise is always something more fundamental - science, broadcasting, performance, teaching, writing etc - and it devalues science teachers, who have been doing this job with considerable skill for years. If you say something publicly, make sure it’s a contribution for the genuine benefit of others that is built on your expertise, rather than something that fills a space because you want to speak or because an algorithm is pushing you to say something every day.  

“We need scientists who can show the genuine benefit of their work (not everyone needs to do it, but at least some do) to a variety of audiences. Also, be careful not to assume that you know about everything because you know some science. If you’re trained in science, you’re relatively unlikely to also be an expert in economics or social science. It’s ok to know about some things and openly ask questions about others. If you go into it with humility and a listening attitude (but being assertive where it’s justified), that’s great.” 

What role do you see UCL playing in advancing climate education and outreach in the years to come? 

“I think that UCL has a really good base to work from, although we need to work on being more connected internally on these issues, and more coordinated externally. There are so many people working in this space across UCL, and so there’s a really rich seam of knowledge and enthusiasm to draw on. The huge advantage that we start with is having such a flexible organisation, and if we get this right, we have a huge amount to offer.” 

More Information 

• Visit Dr Czerski’s Academic Staff Profile 
• Listen to Helen and co-host Tom Heap interview with Professor Eloise Marais