Climate change adaptation in Quebec: improving communication and fostering public engagement in a pandemic context

This project is a first step towards the integration of knowledge on climate change adaptation communication in Québec. This work will serve as a springboard for future R&D and to boost this emerging field of expertise.

Project details

Scientific program

Programmation 2020-2028

Theme(s) and priority(s)

Climate Governance - Social and Health Challenges

Start and duration

Summer 2021 • 16 months

Project Status

Completed

Principal(s) investigator(s)

Erick Lachapelle

Université de Montréal

Context

Adaptation to a changing climate is becoming increasingly urgent in Quebec. However, implementing such adaptation measures requires public support and mobilization, which are not always forthcoming. For many, climate change remains a psychologically distant issue, where the risks seem greater for others than for themselves. Although the effects of climate change are increasingly being felt on the ground, the COVID-19 pandemic has risen to the top of the political agenda, pushing the climate crisis to the back burner. Effective communication on climate change adaptation is now more important than ever. Yet little is known about climate communication strategies in such a context. The Ouranos consortium and the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), as part of their partnership, have therefore launched a call to the scientific community to identify such strategies that could be implemented in Quebec.

Objective(s)

Report on the state of the art in climate change adaptation communication
Study the psychological state of the Quebec population during the pandemic
Determine the obstacles to public commitment to the challenges of climate adaptation
Examine the evolution of climate communication in the Quebec print media before and during the pandemic
Evaluate the effectiveness of two communication strategies for engaging the public in the challenges of climate adaptation
Establish recommendations for improving future climate communications

Methodology

methodology

Results

This project will lead to new findings on communicating about climate adaptation during a pandemic in Québec. Recommendations for optimizing such communication and fostering engagement among the Québec population will be made. The results will be shared with climate communicators in Québec. Emerging issues will also be identified in order to propose innovative areas for future research.

Benefits for adaptation

This project is a first step towards the integration of knowledge on climate change adaptation communication in Québec.

This work will serve as a springboard for future R&D and to boost this emerging field of expertise.

The findings will help in making strategic communication choices to optimize the transfer of information and knowledge on climate change while fostering engagement and compliance among the Québec population.