It explores the insights from social science for understanding risk perception as well as draws on interviews with representatives from five CCS projects. Support or opposition to new technology by members of the public can be influenced substantially by their perceptions of the risks and benefits of a technology and how they perceive it will impact on their lives. There are several implications for CCS risk communication identified by the project:

• A more expansive view of project risk is warranted.
• The public is not a passive ‘target audience’ to whom messages should be delivered but rather is an active participant in interpreting information.
• Differences in perceptions of risk are not limited to differences between experts and the public.
• The essential communication issue is not technical risk per se but the overall potential impact of a technology on a host community and the relationship with the project developer.

Read more about the report:

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/community/blogs/authors/swade/2011/09/08/new-report-public-perception-risk-and-implications-ccs

Download the report:

http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/publications/communicating-risks-ccs