Coordinating Adaptation to Climate Change through Social Media Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega (Social media) http://hummingbird604.com - @hummingbird604 (Environmental/Public Policy) http://www.raulpacheco.org - @raulpacheco Vancouver ChangeCamp, June 20th, 2009

What would happen to us if everybody thought this way? http://www.hcn.org/allimages/1998/nov23/graphics/981123.011.gif

Learning objectives At the end of this session, my hope is that you will be able to: Ascertain the relevance of scientific data to inform your judgments about adaptation to climate change Understand the need for adaptation to climate change Learn about how we can use social media to bring about the climate change dialogue Overall, my goal is to Establish a dialogue with you on how we can best use social media tools to engage in a conversation on climate change and the need for adaptation

At the end of this session, my hope is that you will be able to:

Ascertain the relevance of scientific data to inform your judgments about adaptation to climate change

Understand the need for adaptation to climate change

Learn about how we can use social media to bring about the climate change dialogue

Overall, my goal is to

Establish a dialogue with you on how we can best use social media tools to engage in a conversation on climate change and the need for adaptation

What's my experience? Environmental research PhD (British Columbia) – urban/industrial restructuring under multiple stressors 15 years research experience on water governance, transnational environmental movements, urban sustainability, public policy, citizen participation, policy instruments Public participation North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (3 Consultative Groups) National Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry Advisory Committee (Mexico) Case studies North American environmental NGO mobilizations around PRTRs Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters River basin councils (Mexico)

Environmental research

PhD (British Columbia) – urban/industrial restructuring under multiple stressors

15 years research experience on water governance, transnational environmental movements, urban sustainability, public policy, citizen participation, policy instruments

Public participation

North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (3 Consultative Groups)

National Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry Advisory Committee (Mexico)

Case studies

North American environmental NGO mobilizations around

PRTRs

Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters

River basin councils (Mexico)

What's my social media experience? Co-organized Mental Health Camp http://www.mentalhealthcamp.org Participated in organizing committee BarCamp 2008 VanChangeCamp 2009 Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup http://blog.meetup.com/30 Maintain an active online (and offline) presence Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube

Co-organized Mental Health Camp

http://www.mentalhealthcamp.org

Participated in organizing committee

BarCamp 2008

VanChangeCamp 2009

Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup

http://blog.meetup.com/30

Maintain an active online (and offline) presence

Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube

So what is my goal? To inform you about the consequences of not knowing about climate change and the need to adapt to it. To provide you with an overview of the social media tools I believe we can use to create policy options for adaptation to climate change in British Columbia. To lay the groundwork for future action.

To inform you about the consequences of not knowing about climate change and the need to adapt to it.

To provide you with an overview of the social media tools I believe we can use to create policy options for adaptation to climate change in British Columbia.

To lay the groundwork for future action.

Source: GEO-4

Source: GEO-4

Water stress indicators (W/A) Source: World Water Council. Available at: http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/typo3temp/pics/a4aba79626.jpg

Ok,climate change is here… what are we doing/what can we do about it? Well... participate in the design of policy options to adapt to climate change! http://www.inklinepress.com/beast/do-nothing.gif

Social media enables Finding information Learning from other’s stories Building trust and strengthening relationships Sharing your story ( storytelling )

Finding information

Learning from other’s stories

Building trust and strengthening relationships

Sharing your story ( storytelling )

Social media enables dialogue... Web 1.0 Unilateral (static webpages) Traditional media (I say, you listen) Content generation from the website creator (Top-down) Web 2.0 Multidirectional (dynamic websites) New media (I say, you say, we all say) Crowd-sourced content (Bottom-up)

Web 1.0

Unilateral

(static webpages)

Traditional media

(I say, you listen)

Content generation from the website creator

(Top-down)

Web 2.0

Multidirectional

(dynamic websites)

New media

(I say, you say, we all say)

Crowd-sourced content

(Bottom-up)

Credit and source: http://www.fredcavazza.net/2008/06/09/social-media-landscape/

Social change Public policy goals Social media Participation Source: Pacheco-Vega (2009)

How do we see participation Public participation can be seen as: A goal in itself A way to improve policy-making A data-gathering process A legitimizing factor An empowerment process

Public participation can be seen as:

A goal in itself

A way to improve policy-making

A data-gathering process

A legitimizing factor

An empowerment process

Source: Arnstein (1969) Arnstein’s Citizen Participation Ladder Manipulation Therapy Information Consultation Placating Alliances Delegated power Citizen control Degrees of citizen power Degrees of maintenance Degrees of non-participation Increasing citizen participation

8 public participation processes (Rowe & Frewer 2000, 2004) Canadian examples Referenda Provincial referendum on electoral reform in British Columbia (2005) Public hearings/inquiry Expansion of wastewater treatment plant in Annacis Island Public opinion/surveys Support for/against NAFTA (1990-1992) Negotiated rule-making Whitehorse Mining Initiative –mineral policy (1992) Consensus conference Salmon aquaculture in British Columbia (2007) Citizen jury/panel Health Canada process on xenotransplantation (Einsiedel 2002) Citizen/public advisory committees Urban development in Metro Vancouver (2009) Focus groups Global overfishing, organized by DFO (2005)

Critical aspects of participation Legitimacy Who chooses participants ? Self-selection Accountability Who are they accountable to ? Resources and funding Funding allocation and management Representation Who are they representing ? Which sectors can participate ? “ Doing bad by doing good ” Organizational capture

Legitimacy

Who chooses participants ?

Self-selection

Accountability

Who are they accountable to ?

Resources and funding

Funding allocation and management

Representation

Who are they representing ?

Which sectors can participate ?

“ Doing bad by doing good ”

Organizational capture

Lessons on policy analysis Evaluating policy options to adapt to climate change necessitates Criteria that are as objective and value-neutral as possible. Data (either quantitative or qualitative) that allows informed-judgment. Thinking hard about possible trade-offs between options (e.g. why is one option more desirable than another?).

Evaluating policy options to adapt to climate change necessitates

Criteria that are as objective and value-neutral as possible.

Data (either quantitative or qualitative) that allows informed-judgment.

Thinking hard about possible trade-offs between options (e.g. why is one option more desirable than another?).

GEO-4 Options for climate change

In my view... Using social media to build policy options for adaptation to climate change requires A strong understanding of the issue ( Information ) Deep and strong interconnectedness ( Relationships ) A clear vision of what change needs to be effected ( Behaviour )

Using social media to build policy options for adaptation to climate change requires

A strong understanding of the issue ( Information )

Deep and strong interconnectedness ( Relationships )

A clear vision of what change needs to be effected

( Behaviour )

Thanks for listening! Raul Pacheco-Vega, PhD How to contact me: Via email [email_address] for social media matters [email_address] for my enviro research Via contact form on my blogs http://hummingbird604.com social medial/personal http://www.raulpacheco.org research Via Twitter http://www.twitter.com/hummingbird604 social media http://www.twitter.com/raulpacheco research

Raul Pacheco-Vega, PhD

How to contact me:

Via email

[email_address] for social media matters

[email_address] for my enviro research

Via contact form on my blogs

http://hummingbird604.com social medial/personal

http://www.raulpacheco.org research

Via Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/hummingbird604 social media

http://www.twitter.com/raulpacheco research