72% of people in the US believe climate change is happening now, but only 24% said they talk about the topic at least once a month. Individuals filter or believe information related to climate change based on whether it fits their values, not necessarily based on fact, and they’re more likely to understand the impacts of climate change through human experiences.
Non-partisan spaces, like Wikipedia, are invaluable opportunities for people to learn and participate in discourse about climate science and solutions. These public spaces are the true catalysts for changing mindsets to advance climate action, but they need high-quality academic knowledge about the communities who are most impacted by rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events. With a worldwide reach unlike that of any other public resource, Wikipedia presents an amazing opportunity to reach the masses with accurate information about climate change and its disparate impact on vulnerable communities.
As a part of Wiki Education’s 2024 Climate Finance Initiative, we’re running an 8-week Wiki Scientists course to guide scholars as they add information related to climate change and human rights to Wikipedia. Together, we can increase visibility of the existing research about how climate justice is tied to racial justice and how communities with less wealth are at higher risk of losing their fundamental human rights due to climate change. With increased awareness among the general public, policymakers, government leaders, and the decision-makers running financial institutions and other companies, we’ll see increased urgency in mitigating climate change by further implementing the existing, proven climate solutions.
Research shows Wikipedia content influences tourism, scientists, and even judges’ legal rulings. That’s why it’s vital that we take part in updating and correcting Wikipedia’s content to ensure it reflects the latest climate science, leveraging its power for the climate.
Who is this course for?
We’re looking for subject-matter experts who want to build their climate network while advancing public knowledge. We want this course to have an atmosphere that is hopeful and regenerative. Participants should have an academic research background from any relevant discipline, a passion for advancing climate action, and the commitment to spend time during the course editing Wikipedia to add quality information about how climate change disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities.
Our team excels at helping you find topics that fit your niche expertise, but you should have enough knowledge about the impacts of climate change to work on topics like:
- climate gentrification
- climate justice
- the cultural losses associated with land loss and climate migration
- how banking and capital investments in fossil fuels worsen conditions for certain communities
- the increased risk of respiratory diseases for vulnerable communities
- how non-white neighborhoods lack green space and are more vulnerable to the risks from increased temperatures; and
- how the impacts of climate change interfere with some communities’ basic human rights, like access to food, water, and housing.
We encourage participants to document how nations and governments are responding to these crises, and we’ll prioritize applicants who plan to focus on the relationship between banking and climate mitigation. And, of course, we look to the experts to determine what information is most valuable to share with the public via Wikipedia.
Ready to reach the public with important knowledge, driving change? Reserve your spot now and make an impact!
The Wiki Scientists course
Wiki Education invites subject-matter experts to participate in an 8-week virtual course as they learn how to edit Wikipedia. We’ll take a deep dive into Wikipedia’s coverage of climate change and human rights and add high-quality information to Wikipedia to inform the public with potentially life-changing knowledge. From May 20 – July 15, 2024, Wiki Scientists will attend a series of virtual classes facilitated by Wiki Education’s Wikipedia experts. Each participant should expect to add or expand at least one Wikipedia article related to the course theme.
Meet Mondays: 8 live sessions with our Wikipedia experts and a focused group of 10-20 other climate-passionate participants
3 hours per week of light reading, researching your chosen individual and writing directly on Wikipedia
Access a collaborative community of Wikipedia experts and professional peers
Amplify climate science from your laptop, reaching an audience of millions
Week 1: Introductions
Get to know each other and begin to see Wikipedia as a powerful tool for communicating climate science to the public.
Weeks 2–5: Joining the community
Discover more about the people who make up Wikipedia’s community and pick the relevant topic you’d like to take your deep dive into. We’ll show you how to identify what information is missing from Wikipedia and how to add it according to Wikipedia’s standards. You’ll begin drafting content for pages that get as many as thousands of readers every day!
Weeks 6–8: Educating the public
You’ll take what you’ve learned and make your work “live” on Wikipedia. Your peers and Wiki Education’s experts will help you polish your work to make sure you meet readers with the best information out there. And you’ll get to commune with your fellow Wiki Scientists about any challenges and successes you’ve experienced so far.
What will you achieve?
- An audience of millions. Few other actions you take for the climate can have an effect like a Wikipedia page can. Even adding one sentence about climate science to an existing page with a lot of traffic can reach millions. Imagine the possibilities!
- Membership in an enriching, hopeful community of practice. Develop professional connections across fields while incorporating climate action into your life in a tangible way. Wikipedia editors and a close-knit group of 10-20 peers will commune with you each week to share expertise, stay accountable to our goals, and inspire hope in each other.
- Wikipedia expertise. Create your first Wikipedia article or brush up on your existing Wikipedia-editing skills. You’ll complete the course able to continue this important work both through your own editing and through organizing local projects, embedding Wikipedia know-how within your institution or job.
- And more!
Email scholars@wikiedu.org with questions.
