Public Engagement on Climate Change Adaptation

The document argues that a 'social mandate'—broad public support and legitimacy—is essential for the successful implementation of climate adaptation policies. It recommends that NAP teams leverage the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) framework, which includes education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation. The briefing emphasizes values-led engagement, the use of trusted messengers, and audience segmentation to drive sustainable behavior change. It also provides evidence-based principles for visual communication to avoid stereotypes and connect with audiences emotionally. Case studies from Saint Lucia, Fiji, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana illustrate various approaches, including the use of radio for rural outreach and visual storytelling by women to influence national policy.

• Effective public engagement is necessary to build a 'social mandate,' which is a state where society supports government action for collective well-being and accepts the processes and outcomes as legitimate. Without this, governments struggle to act decisively, and there is a risk that people will ignore or oppose strong climate policies.
• Traditional top-down, one-way government communication is ineffective for climate change. Instead, social science indicates that people respond to tailored narratives that reflect their identity, embody their values, and are delivered by trusted peer messengers.
• NAP teams can use the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) agenda under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to frame their engagement. ACE consists of six interlinked elements: education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation.
• To achieve sustained behavior change, engagement must be 'values-led,' meaning actions are linked to a person's convictions rather than perceived as coercion. This requires audience segmentation based on values, experiences, and socio-political circumstances to ensure messaging is nuanced and targeted.
• The concept of 'just resilience' is recommended as a framework to ensure adaptation actions do not increase vulnerabilities for others or lead to maladaptation, specifically by including disenfranchised communities in decision-making.
• Visual communication should follow evidence-based principles to be effective: showing 'real people' rather than staged photos, telling new stories beyond 'classic' climate imagery (like polar bears), showing causes at scale, and focusing on local but serious impacts.
• Case studies demonstrate that innovative tools can reach underrepresented groups: Farm Radio International used radio and mobile polling in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia to reach rural farmers, while the 'Envisioning Resilience' project used visual storytelling to bring women's voices from Kenya and Ghana into national policy dialogues.
• In Fiji, the Climate Change Act 2021 provides a legal mandate for public participation and transparency, specifically requiring 'free and prior informed consent' for the planned relocation of vulnerable communities.

APA

Ledwell, C., Ray, D. B., Hameed, N., & Sawas, A. (2023). Public Engagement on Climate Change Adaptation. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/napgn-en-2023-public-engagement-on-climate-change-adaptation.pdf

Chicago

Ledwell, Christian, Deepayan Basu Ray, Nameerah Hameed, and Amiera Sawas. Public Engagement on Climate Change Adaptation. NAP Global Network, 2023. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/napgn-en-2023-public-engagement-on-climate-change-adaptation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ledwell |first1=Christian |last2=Ray |first2=Deepayan Basu |last3=Hameed |first3=Nameerah |last4=Sawas |first4=Amiera |title=Public Engagement on Climate Change Adaptation |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=2023 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/napgn-en-2023-public-engagement-on-climate-change-adaptation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ledwell2023public, author = {Ledwell, Christian and Ray, Deepayan Basu and Hameed, Nameerah and Sawas, Amiera}, title = {{Public Engagement on Climate Change Adaptation}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2023}, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/napgn-en-2023-public-engagement-on-climate-change-adaptation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }