The empowerment agenda is critical to the transformative change required to meet the Paris Target (Westminster Foundation for Democracy Ltd., “WFD,” n.d.). The goal is “to empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through education,… public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues” (United Nations Climate Change, n.d.). The reason we need to empower “all members of society” is because these societal transformations are much deeper than people realize and must address fundamental issues of social inclusion (Duarte, 2021). Also, when we empower more people, we in turn give governments the “requisite political space to do more on climate” (WFD, n.d.).
How do we empower everyone on climate action? We start by having community climate conversations that increase awareness, empower local action and lead to information sharing with other networks (Beery et al., 2021).
Community conversations are the focus of my team’s CALS 501 assignment to develop a climate adaptation engagement prototype. We noted that “people do not understand what climate change means to them and their community, nor what to do about it” (CALS 501 Team Alberta, personal communication). The prototype provides instructions for hosting a virtual or in person workshop with existing groups such as sporting associations, community boards, faith groups or youth groups that want to build local climate understanding and identify practical actions.
There is the potential for the workshop to result in maladaptive results such as confusion and apathy towards climate action, but these can be prevented with a few key strategies. Consider the example of Leduc Soccer, a group of volunteer coaches and parents responsible for the delivery of a community soccer program. Being concerned about field conditions and extreme weather, one parent might suggest they undertake this workshop at their next regular meeting. The potential risks of learning more about climate change for Leduc Soccer are below, along with strategies to mitigate these risks.
Provide the Local Context
Risk: Frustration and confusion regarding the applicability of climate impacts to Leduc and the complexity of a global problem.
Strategies: Climate impact statements should be provided along with local examples. For example, “Frequent hail storms have damaged the Leduc Soccer offices and left tree debris on our sports fields.”
Photos of local attractions should also be provided to encourage discussion relevant to the city. For example, how would Lede Park sports fields look in the future if we continue to experience heat domes in the summer?
Local indigenous perspectives should also be provided to foster connections to the local land and history, to encourage forward thinking, and to strengthen relationships with the local natural environment. This can be done with storytelling by a local elder or with a video.
Give Practical Solutions for Likely Climate Impacts
Risk: Increased fear, anxiety and stress regarding a perceived lack of control regarding high consequence climate impacts such as tornadoes even if they are predicted to be very unlikely (City of Leduc, 2014).
Strategies: Explain the more likely risks and identify practical actions. For example, since hotter days and watering limitations are probable, participants can brainstorm solutions such as providing hydration for athletes and working with the Parks Department on a field watering plan.
It is empowering for participants to conduct proactive planning and to develop adaptation measures for their own community (Whitney, 2020).
Foster Creativity and Relationship Building
Risk: Discussion is limited to topics “of relevance,” leading to a shallow understanding of climate impacts and fewer connections between participants.
Strategies: Encourage open discussion and storytelling about local experiences as opposed to solely focusing on the group’s mandate. For example, Leduc Soccer should think creatively about different types of impacts related to sports fields. If the topic of mosquitoes comes up, encourage stories about mosquitoes in Leduc. These stories make climate impacts tangible and lead to information sharing within other networks. Stories also create connections between people. These connections are, in and of themselves, a valuable adaptation strategy.
Like Susan Moser says when talking about despair and hope about climate change, “We’re going to get a lesson in dependence and interdependence like you haven’t seen… I say, Stay put if you can and get to know your neighbors!” (Mazur, 2019).
Community climate conversations can empower many people through increased understanding of local impacts, development of practical actions and connections between neighbors. A virtuous cycle is triggered, engaging even more people and ultimately, empowering governments to drive more climate action.
Would this type of climate conversation make you feel empowered? Please leave a comment or connect with me on social media.
References
Beery, T., Schmidt, K., McDonnell, J., & Moore, T. (2021). Community Climate Conversations: Engaging and Empowering Local Action in a Changing World. The Journal of Extension, 57(6), Article 24. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol57/iss6/24/
City of Leduc (2014). Weather & Climate Readiness Plan. https://www.leduc.ca/sites/default/files/Weather%20and%20Climate%20Readiness%20Plan.pdf
Duarte, M. (2021). Empowering Indigenous Women to integrate traditional knowledge & practices in climate action. Climate Investment Funds webinar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVwuueUFqBk
Mazur, L. (2019). Despairing about the Climate Crisis? Read This. Earth Island Journal. July 22, 2010. https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/despairing-about-climate-crisis/
United Nations Climate Change. Action for Climate Empowerment (n.d.). Retrieved from https://unfccc.int/topics/education-youth/the-big-picture/what-is-action-for-climate-empowerment.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy Ltd. (n.d.).Why the empowerment agenda at COP26 matters for the success of the Paris Agreement. Retrieved fom https://www.agora-parl.org/sites/default/files/agora-documents/Addressing%20climate%20change%20-%20Parliamentarians%20around%20the%20world%20emphasize%20the%20role%20of%20public%20empowerment%20ahead%20of%20COP26.pdf
City of Leduc Lede Park Sports Fields
Source: City of Leduc (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.leduc.ca/william-f-lede-park
Hi Kerra
I appreciated your blog on local empower and the “empowerment agenda”. So often resources are focused on the tactics of what technical solutions we need to apply. This despite people and mindsets being the foundation of all change. It is also astute to have included an emphasis on how empowerment of people can help to generate the necessary push on the political system to increase the pace and scale of ambition on climate action.
One of the resources that came to mind in reading your blog is the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) initiative adopted under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This program aims to empower society at large to engage in climate action following six focus areas: Education, Training, Public Awareness, Public Participation, Public Access to Information, and International Cooperation. Your CALS 501 assignment prototype links to many of these focus areas. The guiding principles of this program, particularly gender and intergenerational inclusion, might prompt some helpful reflection to further strengthen the proposed prototype.
The risks you highlighted are helpful to reflect on. Moser (2016) highlights some of the challenges in community engagement initiatives where participants can come from diverse identifies and world-views, and how this may give rise to strong responses ranging from denial and disbelief to grief and anxiety. While beyond the scope of this project and course, it strikes me that an important area to delve deeper into is the development of training content for mitigating the potential for these responses and for managing them in real time. While important in all contexts, this seems particularly important in conservative leaning contexts where beliefs around climate change are highly diverse.
Joanne
Moser, S.C. (2016). Reflections on climate change communication research and practice in the second decade of the 21st century: What more is there to say? WIREs Climate Change May/June, 345-369. (24 pages). WIREs Climate Change 2016, 7:345–369. doi: 10.1002/wcc.403 https://go.openathens.net/redirector/royalroads.ca?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1002%2Fwcc.403%3Fsid%3Dworldcat.org