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From Ivory Towers to Round Tables experiences with the (Climate) Science / Policy Interface in the Netherlands. BertJan Heij Netherlands Research Programme on Climate Change. General statements about communication of scientific knowledge
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From Ivory Towers to Round Tablesexperiences with the (Climate) Science / Policy Interface in the Netherlands BertJan Heij Netherlands Research Programme on Climate Change
General statements about communication of scientific knowledge • Some examples of successful communication activities in the Science / Policy interface • Conclusions and recommendations
There were five friends who lived in Quebec and one day they decided to go on a trip to visit a foreign country, so they piled into a bus and headed for Ontario. They got across the border and they were looking out the window and one of them, who happened to be a naturopath, upon spying one black sheep on a hill, said: …. ‘Look, all of the sheep in Ontario are black’
Next to him was a chiropractor – a somewhat more critical thinker. He said, ‘I don’t think you can really say that … ‘All you can say is that in Ontario some of the sheep are black’
Well, sitting behind them was a biologist – more scientifically minded. He said, ‘I don’t think you guys can really say that scientifically either ….. ‘All you can really say is that in Ontario, there is at least one black sheep’
But sitting next to him was a physicist. He said, ‘Well, that isn’t exactly right either. If you just want to go in terms of conclusions based upon the evidence … ‘In Ontario, there is at least one sheep that is black on one side’
Sitting behind them, of course, was the chemist – the fount of the knowledge. He said, ‘No, all of you guys are wrong. You can’t really say that … ‘The only thing you can really say is that in Ontario, there is at least one sheep that is black on one side, some of the time’
Scientists cannot communicate • They do not agree on the scientific facts and figures • Many scientists always operate like instructors / teachers • They cannot explain in a clear way what they have found and what that means • They think that what they have found is the truth! • Their text is OK, but it is so boring ………! • They sometimes give the wrong message to the right people, or the other way around
COOL project (1995 – 2001) • Participatory Integrated Assessment project that aimed to develop strategic notions on how to achieve drastic reductions on GHG’s emissions in the Netherlands in the long term • Dialogues at three geographical levels: national (Dutch), European and global • National Dialogue: different sectors of the Dutch economy (industry and energy, agriculture and nutrition, housing and construction, traffic and transport) • Communication: the scientific support in a PIA project is not only about providing scientific documents and reports but also, and mainly, about interaction and discusstion with participants
Platform Communication on Climate Change (PCCC) • Goal: to improve the quality, effectivity and efficiency of the communication on climate change in the Netherlands • Co-operation: between major research organizations in the Netherlands in the area of climate change
Platform Communication on Climate Change (PCCC) • Politicians expect the PCCC to be a common ‘climate counter’ • Discussion with the Parliament about climate change • PCCC has been settled and acknowledged by the politicians and is expected to play a major role in the communication between scientists and politicians in the field of climate change
Climate DayJune 30, 2004 • Feasibility of 30% reduction of CO2 emissions in 2020 • Short presentations about recent developments in the science of climate change • Round table with a mix of scientists, politicians, policymakers and CEO’s • Exhibition on clean energy • Input: dialogue workshops with stakeholders
Climate DayJune 30, 2004 Conclusion The Under Secretary stated that climate change is the most difficult environmental problem to tackle and that he puts it on top of the policy agenda
Scientific Assessments and Policy Analyses • Carried out by a consortium of research institutes and universities in the Netherlands, with the obligation to involve the best available knowledge about the subject • Two-track approach: bottom-up collection of subjects with the scientific community and interviews with policymakers of the five relevant ministries in the Netherlands • Close communication with the Task Force Kyoto Protocol to guarantee the right focus and timelines
Conclusions and RecommendationsGeneral • Communication of climate change: we need a tailor made strategy • List a number of excellent scientists in each important area who are also good communicators (speaking, writing) • Building a complete knowledge base about the climate change problem needs dialogue activities with scientists, societal groups / stakeholders and policymakers • Important: listen to various targets groups, to learn about their information needs and to see how they can contribute, with their specific expertise and knowledge
Conclusions and RecommendationsSpecific • To outreach politicians: you need special abilities • To reach politicians: you need a networker who is a node in their network and who is familiar with the problem
