Citizen Engagement on Climate (2020-22)
The Foundation is committed to sustainability and works internationally from the UK, Portugal and globally to promote climate action and protect biodiversity.
Between 2020 and 2022, the UK Branch’s Citizen Engagement on Climate programme helped build and evidence the public mandate in the UK to tackle climate change.
Why public engagement?
Public engagement is key to how the environmental sector can ensure local and national governments fulfil their responsibility to achieve carbon neutrality. Involving communities in climate action is also essential to achieve the individual behaviour change that we need to tackle climate change. Public engagement involves a wide range of activity, including (but not limited to) communications, education, community activism and political activism.
In April 2021, we published a literature review on public engagement for climate action in parternship with the Centre for Public Impact, which sought to understand effective ways to engage the public on meaningful behaviour change that can aid in achieving net zero emissions goals. The research is accompanied by a series of eight case studies, which document innovative approaches from around the world.
Summary of the literature review on pubic engagement for climate change
Focus areas
By collecting and sharing evidence of what works, we aimed to help build the capacity of the sector in engaging communities in climate action. We also aimed to evidence the value of public engagement to encourage its uptake and greater investment.
The programme acknowledged the the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Building on lessons from our previous Valuing the Ocean programme, it applied insight on effective communications to engage people in environmental issues.
Our funding contributed to new evidence on the value of public engagement and tools to support its practical application, supported innovative work to involve communities around the UK’s hosting of the UN’s Climate Summit in 2021, COP26, and established new partnerships with organisations working on the topic.
Initiatives supported through this programme can be found in our Projects directory.
Learning resources
The programme produced research, campaign toolkits and guidance on how effective communications and engagement can help deepen understanding and engagement with climate, ocean and biodiversity issues, and strengthen their impact through collaboration.
Our Learning Hub made these tools readily available to the sector.
Learning hub