A Framework for Stakeholder Engagement on Climate Adaptation

Under the Climate Adaptation Flagship, a working paper has been produced by CSIRO which outlines best practice methods for engaging with stakeholders on the issue of climate adaptation. The paper begins with the recognition of the urgent need to begin discussion with a broad range of stakeholders about how they might prepare to adapt to the likely impacts of climate change.

However, climate change and climate adaptation have some features that make stakeholder engagement on these topics particularly problematic.These factors include the presence of misinformation and scepticism about climate change, common reactions to uncertainty, and variations in the capacity for long-term planning, as well as other issues. This paper offers guidelines on how to best engage stakeholders on the issue of climate adaptation.

Recommendations for best practice are provided for:

Actions to undertake prior to engagement
Tools for the engagement processes
Techniques for achieving understanding of climate change issues
Strategies for follow-up and evaluation

The paper also puts forward a preliminary model of adaptation engagement. The model is presented as a pathway of stages, with different drivers and barriers relevant at different stages along the pathway. Download the report here.

Reference:

Gardner J, Dowd A-M, Mason C, Ashworth P. 2009. A framework for stakeholder engagement on climate adaptation. CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship Working paper No. 3.