Communicating Climate Change

1. Communicating Climate Change Communication, Public Awareness and Public Education for Climate Change and DRR • “Scientific, engineering, and organizational solutions are not enough. Societies must be motivated and empowered to adopt the needed changes.”

2. Climate change can seem a complex topic…

3. …and there are some challenges to communicating about it… Photo: IFRC The media often focuses on worst case scenarios in the far future that can make people feel disempowered Hard to communicate CC simply at the same time as based on scientific fact Hard to reach all members of the community Uncertainty of climate predictions can make people less likely to act

4. …but talking about it doesn’t need to be difficult! Photo: IFRC We need to talk to people about climate change But we have to be careful about the messages we convey! Integration is key there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to communicating about climate change.

5. In this presentation • Principals of communicating climate change • Understanding the psychology of climate change communication • Examples from the Red Cross Movement • Exercise: integration in DRR Photos: Charlotte Floors / PfR

6. Getting started: When should you talk about climate change? • Should you be talking about climate change? • It is not always relevant to all communities or programmes • Putting too much emphasis can lead to people attributing all problems to climate change! • Even when climate change is an issue, a lot of detail may not be appropriate Photos: Danish Red Cross

7. What are your comms objectives? • What do you want to achieve with your communication about climate change? • What do you want people to do differently – how do you want them to change behaviour? • Raising awareness of a particular problem? • Delivering simplified forecast information, e.g on rainfall or drought? Photos:RCCC Peruvian Red Cross at information stand at UNFCC COP 20, Lima

8. Raising awareness • Awareness raising is key to behaviour change • About climate change and why it is happening • About increasing humanitarian impacts • About what the RC is doing to address impacts and vulnerabilities Photos: IFRC-RCCC Awareness-raising at the COP

9. Behaviour change • CCA often about a behaviour shift (e.g. rather than building things: ducks vs chickens) • Need to be clear about what people can do to reduce vulnerability to climate change? • Why should they do it? • Often targeting specific groups or communities Photo: Nancy Okwengu/IFRC-RCCC Hand-washing in Kenya

10. But remember… • Climate change awareness alone does not lead directly to people adopting climate-smart DRR. People take action only when: • they know what specific actions can be taken to reduce their risks • they are convinced that these actions will be effective • they believe in their own ability to carry out the tasks. • It relates to their lives

11. Bridging science and practice • Helping people understand complex scientific information • Integrating scientific info into DRR progs – to make climate-smart • Communicating forecasts in a useful & understandable way • Incorporate changing risk patterns in community risk reduction plans Photo: RCCC Using forecasts for early warning in Ethiopia

12. Principles for communicating Climate Change • Tailor messages to your audience • Used mixed methods and approaches • Manage your community engagement well Photo: RCCC

13. Principle 1: Tailor messages to your audience: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! • Who are they? What groups do they belong to? • What are the misconceptionsaround risk and climate change? • How can we work to change these misconceptions or use them for our benefit? Photo: RCCC

14. Consider the following groups: • Communities (including specific group such as farmers, fishermen) • VDMCs and other community committees • Local authorities • RC branch staff and volunteers Photo: Raimond Duijsens/NLRC What might they need to know about climate change? What would your key messages be?

15. What are your key messages? • What information about climate change does your target group need? • What (if anything) do you want them to do? • Why should they do it? Photo: Danish Red Cross Considering water management options in a changing climate in Nepal lowlands

16. TAILORING MESSAGES • Tailoring messages to your audience makes them more effective • What are the key messages you need to give to each type of audience? • Be as specific as possible Photo: Danish Red Cross • How can you INTEGRATE into what you are already doing / communicating??

17. Examples for farmers Information about rising uncertainty and more climate extremes Information about where to get good forecasts Information about how to use forecasts Information about changing seasonal rainfall Use climate information to inform decision-making Seek advice on other ways of building resilience to a changing climate Consider livelihood diversification

18. Developing your messages : tips • Keep it simple and straightforward – don’t use scientific terms • Be positive – avoid creating fear • Ensure that your messages are correct – have an expert check them • Consider religious and traditional belief systems • Build on existing community knowledge of weather and climate • Be careful that people don’t blame everything on climate change

19. How to get your audience’s attention: tips • Frame climate change as a local issue: increases sense of connection and understanding and promotes development of local solutions • Reinforce the humanitarian link: talk about climate change not only as an environmental problem, but linked to health, economy, security etc. • People approach goals differently, so tailor messages to reflect this: • those with a promotion focus see a goal as an ideal and prefer to act eagerly to maximize or increase gains. • People with a prevention focus see a goal as something they ought to do and prefer to act vigilantly to minimize or decrease losses

20. Example: tailoring a message for promotion and prevention • If we want people to change people’s behaviour on managing solid waste we should explain options in different ways: • A promotion message emphasizes “going the extra mile” (e.g., going out of one’s way to dispose properly of waste, how this benefits the community). • A prevention message encourages being careful to dispose properly of waste, how not doing this hurts the community.

21. Translate scientific data into concrete experience • The brain has two processing systems: experiential (controls survival behaviour, source of emotions and instincts); and analytical (controls analysis of scientific information). • The most effective communication targets both: use experiential tools AND facts and figures. • Vivid imagery: film footage, personal accounts, concrete comparisons; • Messages designed to create and highlight personal experience and to get an emotional response.

22. Now & Future • For behaviour change, present information that people aware of potential current and future losses if they do not take action as well as focusing on current and future gains. • a diversification of crop planting can provide solutions now and can prevent less loss of income and food in the future if there is drought or flooding

23. Principal 2: used mixed methods: How will you communicate your key messages? • Who is going to communicate? • How will they communicate? • How can you reach all groups? Participatory games for communication and learning in Nicaragua Photo: RCCC

24. Remember… Different groups… …require different approaches Publications Posters and leaflets Games and competitions Performing arts Audio and video materials Social media Telecommunication: radio, TV

25. Keep it interactive Keep your audience involved with participatory methods: Films • Jokes • Art • Flash mobs • Drama • Games Surprises • Surprises

26. Principal 3: Manage community engagement: Encourage group participation & discussion! • Many community decisions related to CCA are group decisions • understanding community dynamics and fostering participation is key • Group processes allow individuals with a range of knowledge, skills, and personal experience to share these and work together on a problem.

27. How To Set the Stage for Effective Group Discussions on Climate Change • General facilitation skills apply– e.g. understanding your audience & group dynamics, allow time for discussion • Ask the community about how they are already experiencing climate change. This is the best way to start a discussion about what climate change is (and isn't) • Use discussion to generate solutions. People are more willing to talk about a problem if they feel there are solutions • This helps keep messages positive, encourages optimism, and demonstrates how groups can be a powerful force in tackling climate change challenges

28. Example: Benefits of talking about Climate Change info in groups Extensive evidence from CRED’s work with farmers in Africa suggest that people may understand information about things that might happen better when it is presented to a group, where members have a chance to discuss it, rather than as individuals who have to try to understand it alone

29. Examples from the field: participatory video • Villagers in Ethiopia and Uganda made films to demonstrate adaptation techniques to their peers • Raising awareness and providing examples of resilience building activities • Smaller target group, defined messages Photo: Mamadou Marikou/Wetlands International) Participatory video training of women village leaders in Mali

30. Climate Visuals • Use visuals to communicate climate change – but use the RIGHT visuals • Images should be positive and focus on solutions so people feel they can do something about it: climate solutions generate positive emotional responses and feelings of hope – climate impacts and causes can create fear • Images should be strong enough to motivate action

31. Climate Visuals: key principals • Use real people and real photos and eye contact • Couple scenes of destruction with photos of solutions • Tell new stories: people can’t always relate to typical images • Show causes of climate change at scale – not just how individuals are causing it. This is more likely to be understood. • Showing climate impacts is powerful – but need use with ideas for concrete behaviour change to do something about it • Show local impacts – but they have to be serious enough to provoke action • Know your audience: different images will move different types of people

32. Things to consider: partnerships • Find other actors to work with – this can strengthen your message • Link your communications campaigns to events like e.g. National DRR day, or the release of a major climate change report • Build relationships with local and national media and make sure they cover your events Photo: RCCC

33. Afterwards: were you successful? • Did you achieve your objectives? • How do you know? • If not, why not? • What would you do differently next time? Photo: RCCC Climate games in India

34. We need to make all our DRR messages CLIMATE-SMART!

35. Group Work 4 working groups • Step 1: One set of hazard key messages is assigned to each group (on drought) • Step 2:Identify 2-3 key messages that are most “climate smart” to deliver to the communities you work with. • Step 3: Consider “misconceptions” of risk and CC linked to these messages – what behaviour do we want them to change? • Step 4:Decidewhich medium of dissemination to use (example: radio, brochures, etc.) • Step 5:Decidewith whom to coordinate about the content of the Key Messages.

36. Group Work (continued)

37. Resources and other ideas Many ideas can be developed from the IFRC communication guide for DRR The “How to” guide from the RCCC, also accessible in this module