Climate Conversations

The Energy Foundation has awarded The Keystone Center a grant to plan, coordinate, facilitate, and report the results of a series of stakeholder engagement activities in coordination with the third National Climate Assessment (NCA) sector and regional stakeholder outreach process.

The NCA, mandated by the Global Change Research Act of 1990, requires regular publication of scientific assessments on the scope and scientific issues surrounding climate change in the U.S. The NCA is managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with input provided by numerous stakeholders. This project will supplement the efforts of NCA’s multi-stakeholder engagement and communications strategy by identifying new opinion leaders who can help broaden the network of contributors to the NCA process.

The Keystone Center will design and facilitate a number of stakeholder engagement workshops dubbed 'Climate Conversations.' The conversational format will encourage personal exchange of experiences and ideas among 50 or more participants at each event. The workshops will be designed to enhance discussions about how the NCA process and information can be useful for stakeholders, and how they can contribute to the NCA process as well as to the climate change knowledge base. The outcomes of these conversations will be threefold:

• To increase awareness and engagement by stakeholders in the NCA process;
• To stimulate participation in the NCA process and help frame the report with experiences and insights of community leaders whose perspectives can be shared broadly with the public.
• To provide opportunities for individuals and organizations to share their insights on the climate impacts projected for their community and region.

The design of the workshops, and subsequent follow-up activities, will draw out participants’ stories and shared experiences in communities across the country on a wide range of topics including water resources, human health, transportation, agriculture, ecosystems and biodiversity, coastal systems and oceans, and energy supply and use. The exchange of information and experiences through this deliberative conversational process will help shape the Assessment, broaden the network of climate opinion leaders, and frame the conversation about climate change around personal experiences and problem-solving.

During the course of this project, The Keystone Center will consult with an informal advisory group composed of members of the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee, as well as key stakeholder groups, including the business community, elected and/or appointed officials, minority and consumer groups, and academia. This group will inform the format of the Climate Conversations, the selection of invited stakeholders, and follow-up activities resulting from the workshops.

For more information, please contact Catherine Morris.