Communication & Advocacy

Sea level rise and increase in the frequency and intensity of flooding, storms, and storm surges are expected to have complex and far-reaching consequences for people, businesses and trades, and local governments. Better preparation, through modification of existing and implementation of new strategies and policies, will reduce the impacts experienced.

While the scientific evidence of climate change has never been clearer, exactly how to foster widespread policy and behavior change – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to inevitable changes in the climate – is less well understood.

Using communication to promote civic engagement and behaviour change requires deep insight into audiences, their motivations, the barriers they face, and the best methods of reaching them with information they value.

It is important, therefore to conduct public engagement and behaviour change research that can be used to improve climate change communication and social marketing programs. This requires engaging a broad range of research experts and business, non-profit and government leaders to identify the most pressing communication and behaviour change research questions.

A key component is increasing awareness of the risks and appropriate actions among those responsible for preparation and response, as well as those likely to be affected. Coordinated and cohesive information needs to be developed and effectively communicated to a wide variety of people and professions across many sectors and organisations.

This involves inclusion of climate change issues in curriculum at secondary and tertiary educational institutions, development of indigenous knowledge to enhance adaptive capacity for future,  making available appropriate technical information in a form that facilities quality and timely decision making, consultation with representative from different segments of the society, including those are most vulnerable,  enhancement of roles of women and the poor in the sustainable development planning.

It is important that all audiences be identified, along with their specific educational, outreach, training, and capacity building needs. Of particular importance are developing communication plans to reach low-income countries, under-served populations and other vulnerable groups.

This involves communication programs through different media like print as well as electronic on issues of gender equity, violence on women post disasters, hygiene, water conservation at the level of communities, at home through grey water reuse, rain water harvesting, watershed management in rural areas, lowering electricity consumption and adopting a green lifestyle, creating awareness on organic farming etc.

Climate change will impact different sectors differently and it is essential that the people are aware and know how to adapt. Media, health workers, scientific community, policy makers, Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and communities all have to be reached and their information needs accessed with respect to climate change adaptation.