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Project title

Using worldviews to inspire and scale climate action

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University College Dublin (UCD)

Lead Applicant

Cara Augustenborg

Project Abstract

Climate change is understood and responded to in different ways across populations, and climate action strategies receive varying degrees of support as a result. The UWISCA project will explore climate action pathways to support the transition to a low-carbon economy in Ireland by identifying the communication and engagement strategies that are most resonant with certain segments of the Irish population. This will be done by means of identifying the worldviews and values that shape their perceptions of climate change. By better understanding audiences in terms of what deeply matters to them, the project intends to gain insight into best practices for more effective and inclusive engagement on climate action and thus contribute to reducing the ‘say-do’ gap in Ireland. This project will generate novel insights for how to better design communications and engagement strategies in support of climate action in Ireland. By means of a public survey, roundtable sessions and a Community of Practice with key sectoral stakeholders as well as focus groups with samples of the general public, the project will specifically address a knowledge gap regarding how worldviews and values shape perceptions of and motivation to engage with climate change in a context of a pro-climate economic transition. An integrated approach combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be used to gather and analyse data, to be used in the design of tailored communications addressing priority climate-related issues of key sectoral stakeholders. The communications design will be a participatory process carried out with the involvement of key sectoral stakeholder organisations, which will also build their capacity for climate communications design. The resulting communications will be tested and refined using focus groups and a set of guidance documents will be produced for use by stakeholders on an on-going basis. The core capacity-building contribution of this project is to enhance communication of climate research and policies to stakeholders, including the general public, policymakers, and business leaders, working with NGOs, Government bodies and other stakeholders by creating a Community of Practice to promote more accurate and effective coverage of environmental issues and collaborating with policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure that communication strategies are integrated into broader efforts to address environmental challenges.

Grant Approved

�486,814.50

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

Addressing the Societal Dimension of Environmental Challenges

Start Date

01/02/2024

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/01/2027