Enabler 4

Overview

Our fourth enabler is about bringing different parts of society together to work collaboratively on climate change responses, and about including the voices of communities and civil society in decision-making processes. This is important because if our adaptation responses are to be effective and comprehensive, we need to ensure that we listen to as many perspectives as possible, and those that are affected most by the changing climate are a part of addressing the challenge.

  What does this enabler involve?

1. Public, stakeholder and civil society inclusion: our decision-making processes should have meaningful participation from different sections of society, with mechanisms for local organisations and traditional or representative leaders of those most impacted by climate change to be represented in decision-making processes. Given the long-term nature of climate change adaptation, it is especially important that young people are engaged and included.
2. Quality of collaboration: what matters is not the amount of participation, but rather its quality. Collaboration between different parts of government and across society leads to better adaptation outcomes, so a culture of working together is vital. To ensure the quality of participation, we also need to have processes in place to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative working.
3. Linking adaptation with poverty reduction and development goals, policies and programmes: especially in the Global South, but also across the world at a time of rising energy prices and resource shortages, it is imperative to link adaptation with poverty reduction and development measures. This means that we need dialogue to identify areas of synergy between adaptation and poverty alleviation, and to navigate any tensions or trade-offs between these two objectives.
4. Working with the most affected communities: it is vital that we understand how some people, groups and communities are disproportionality impacted by the changing climate or are limited in how they can participate in addressing climate action. We must collaborate with communities impacted by issues of vulnerability, inequality and disadvantage and engage them in framing priorities for climate action.

 What drives this enabler forward?

1. A willingness and commitment by local authorities that different groups in a community should be a part of the process, supported by a culture of collaboration and inclusive decision making. This means mechanisms and incentives for meaningful public engagement, and for evaluation of the effectiveness of that engagement.
2. Our governments and researchers are committed to using their expertise to facilitate societal engagement, and to continually evaluating and assessing the quality and effectiveness of participation.
3. We also need partnerships that recognise and embed local experience and expertise, drawing in a diverse range of viewpoints that can balance adaptation and development viewpoints in a way that is appropriate to the local context.

 What might inhibit this enabler from being realised?

1. There are already, unfortunately, many examples of tokenistic engagement, where communities or civil society organisations are consulted – or simply informed – without the possibility to have any significant bearing on the outcomes of the decision being taken. Our adaptation decision-making must not follow this approach.
2. Those who ae most vulnerable to climate change impacts may be hesitant or resistant to participation in collaboration on adaptation. Reasons for this might include, but are not limited to: a lack of trust in governments and authorities, previous negative experiences with engagement and participation, or a feeling that collaborative activities do not address the most urgent priorities they face. The responsibility of redressing these imbalances rests primarily with those of us in more empowered positions to understand why there may be reluctance to engage in collaborative activities, and to create conditions that enable trust building and participation.