Understanding Needs, Meeting Demands

The report investigates the gap between the supply of online climate knowledge brokering (CKB) platforms and the actual needs of users. Through a survey of 163 users and case studies of four platforms—AfricaAdapt, Climate Finance Options, Climate Change Policy & Practice, and the Eldis Climate Change Resource Guide—the authors find that platforms are often supply-driven and fail to reach key stakeholders like policy-makers and frontline actors. Users primarily rely on search engines rather than portals and continue to prefer traditional written documents over interactive Web 2.0 tools. The report argues for a shift toward needs-led design and the integration of offline engagement to foster genuine knowledge co-production.

• Online CKB platforms are frequently supply-driven, operating on the assumption that increasing the availability of online knowledge automatically leads to evidence-based policy and practice, often without a thorough understanding of user priorities.
• Users rarely use CKB platforms as their primary starting point for information; instead, 51% of survey respondents begin their searches with generic search engines like Google and 34% use specific institutional websites.
• Despite the availability of multimedia and interactive tools, users still primarily seek traditional paper-based formats, specifically research reports, policy documents, and journal articles.
• There is a significant misalignment between the intended audiences of CKB platforms (often policy-makers) and the actual users, who are predominantly research-oriented professionals from international NGOs, academia, and consultancies.
• Knowledge-sharing behaviour remains limited; while most users identify as sharers, 66% are only minimally or occasionally active, and many prefer receiving information over contributing.
• The 'digital divide' continues to hinder the effectiveness of online CKB platforms in the global South, with some users citing poor connectivity and high costs as primary barriers to accessing information.
• Offline interactions, such as face-to-face meetings and radio programs, are essential complements to online platforms for building trust, advertising services, and facilitating the co-production of knowledge.
• Perceptions of trustworthiness vary by platform: some users trust content based on its link to respected global institutions, while others, particularly in the AfricaAdapt case, value authenticity and resonance with lived experience.

APA

Hammill, A., Harvey, B., & Echeverria, D. (2013). Understanding Needs, Meeting Demands. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_needs_platforms.pdf

Chicago

Hammill, Anne, Blane Harvey, and Daniella Echeverria. Understanding Needs, Meeting Demands. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_needs_platforms.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hammill |first1=Anne |last2=Harvey |first2=Blane |last3=Echeverria |first3=Daniella |title=Understanding Needs, Meeting Demands |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_needs_platforms.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hammill2013understanding, author = {Hammill, Anne and Harvey, Blane and Echeverria, Daniella}, title = {{Understanding Needs, Meeting Demands}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_needs_platforms.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }