I have a story about solar panels, science communication, and educating the public and why it's so important to show and not just tell.

A Cuban friend's remaining family in Cuba is facing difficulties like the rest of the country. Her parents, like everyone else is dealing with black outs and wanted to buy independent electricity generation. She told her parents to get solar panels (they could) but they insisted on gas generators as that's what all the neighbours are getting and it's a tech they know. She tried and tried to talk logic into them. Gas generators need gas, like the rest of the grid. They don't have any.

I want to add this woman has a PhD in a technical field and is hella smart. With all her smarts, she failed at convincing her own parents on basic science and logic. There's no gas, you can't run that generator even if you bought it. Predictably, it didn't get much use.

Fast forward to solar panels getting installed by the government, neighbours, and the ability to see the benefits,they are now installing some too. Why? Solar panels can now be trusted. Other people are doing it. It works. The other solution didn't.

We have to remember that people have fears and biases we have to overcome. As scientists, we still carry a increasingly false belief that facts will win the argument for us.

Even on something as basic and low risk as this, she struggled. It's not her fault. We need better training for scientists to communicate with non scientists too.

Address their fears. Address their values. Show, not just tell.

Facts matter less than feelings. We need to embrace this.