Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-15 (section)

=== 15.6.4 Education and Awareness-Raising ===

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A significant barrier to effective climate adaptation is the lack of education and awareness around climate change both among the general public, for example, in the Bahamas ( [[#Petzold--2018|Petzold et al., 2018]] ) and among decision makers in the more remote rural communities ( [[#Nunn--2013|Nunn, 2013]] ; [[#Mycoo--2015|Mycoo, 2015]] ). Increasing knowledge on adaptation options and needs can increase adaptive capacity that is underpinned by ‘the ability of individuals to access, understand and apply the knowledge needed to inform their decision-making processes’ ( [[#Cvitanovic--2016|Cvitanovic et al., 2016]] p. 54). This should, however, also be seen as a collective effort ( [[#Hayward--2019|Hayward et al., 2019]] ).

Workshops and training are seen as crucial at the local scale to build communities’ capacity to take action and to integrate climate change considerations to the broader development processes ( [[#Remling--2016|Remling and Veitayaki, 2016]] ), although purely workshop-based short-term capacity building in adaptation has been questioned ( [[#Conway--2014|Conway and Mustelin, 2014]] ; [[#Lubell--2019|Lubell and Niles, 2019]] ). More interactive community engagement strategies could include ‘participatory three-dimensional modelling (P3DM), participatory video, development of photo journals, and civil society plans’ ( [[#Beckford--2018|Beckford, 2018]] , p. 46) that enables broader engagement. In Fiji, Laje Rotuma youth ecocamps have been used to engage younger Fijians to understand adaptation and increasing environmental stewardship with good outcomes ( [[#McNaught--2014|McNaught et al., 2014]] ). In Palau, Camp Ebiil provides a culturally based platform for younger generations to learn about nature and culture in an interactive camp ( [[#Singeo--2011|Singeo, 2011]] ). Vanuatu’s Volunteer Rainfall Observer Network, in turn, engages volunteers to record their rainfall observations, demonstrating the use of IKLK that can be integrated with contemporary weather forecasting ( [[#Chand--2014|Chand et al., 2014]] ). Likewise, initiatives such as ePOP ''Petites Ondes Participatives'' aim to develop a citizen network to share environmental information (e.g., via mini-videos on smartphones). Across the Pacific, projects such as the European Union Pacific Technical Vocational Education and Training on Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Adaptation Project (EU PacTVET) have sought to increase the capacity of Pacific islanders in disaster risk management and climate adaptation ( [[#Hemstock--2018|Hemstock et al., 2018]] ).

In Fiji, a study on adaptive behaviour and intention to invest in more adaptive portfolios found that the intent for adaptive behaviour increased with the supply of climate information ( [[#Di%20Falco--2018|Di Falco and Sharma, 2018]] ). In the Pacific, high-performing CBA initiatives included climate awareness raising that equipped people with knowledge to understand occurring environmental changes and what to do ( [[#McNamara--2020|McNamara et al., 2020]] ). Lack of information can increase community vulnerability. Remote indigenous farming communities in St. Vincent, in the Caribbean, for example, have already observed decreased rainfall and increases in temperatures, but they have been largely excluded from agricultural training that includes information in how to improve agricultural strategies in times of climatic shocks and how to prepare for changing climatic conditions ( [[#Smith--2016|Smith and Rhiney, 2016]] ). In the Bahamas, cultural background, income and education levels impact the extent to which people are aware of climate risks ( [[#Petzold--2018|Petzold et al., 2018]] ). In Dominica, access to information critical to fisheries is noted as a significant challenge, including data collection, its management and human resources in building capacity to process and use this information for evidence-based decision-making ( [[#Turner--2020|Turner et al., 2020]] ).

The Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation tool has been developed to assist the tourism industry in producing ‘climate-sensitive developments’ ( [[#Mackay--2017|Mackay and Spencer, 2017]] , p. 55). Although some authors conclude on the low climate awareness/understanding among small islanders ( [[#Middelbeek--2014|Middelbeek et al., 2014]] ; [[#Betzold--2015|Betzold, 2015]] ; [[#Petzold--2018|Petzold et al., 2018]] ), others indicate that many Caribbean islanders are acutely aware of past storm events (i.e., social memory) and have a certain degree of self-reliance, which creates the capability to multitask and cope with limited resources ( [[#Petzold--2019|Petzold and Magnan, 2019]] ). There is, however, a disconnect between knowledge, attitudes and practices—knowledge sharing and learning need to be improved along with the take-up of an evidence-based decision-making approach ( [[#Lashley--2013|Lashley and Warner, 2013]] ; [[#Petzold--2018|Petzold et al., 2018]] ; [[#Saxena--2018|Saxena et al., 2018]] ).

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