Union of Concerned Scientists

For nearly two decades, Caplan Communications has worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists to translate complex climate science into public understanding, most notably through the development of "Danger Season."

Climate impacts were accelerating faster than public understanding. Scientific evidence remained abstract, while political attacks and gaps in preparedness prevented the public and media from fully grasping the immediacy and compounding nature of risk.

Caplan defined and advanced "Danger Season" as a unifying public frame, aligning earned media, expert visibility, and real-time messaging across extreme heat, wildfire smoke, storms, grid stress, and climate attribution.

Climate coverage turned from distant, long-term concern to immediate, lived risk. "Danger Season" established a clear, repeatable frame connecting extreme weather, infrastructure stress, and the real-time consequences of climate change.

UCS experts and analysis became embedded in national and regional coverage during peak climate events, reinforcing the organization's role as a trusted authority and shaping how climate risk is understood in real time.