BaCCC/Module 7/Lesson 1/Part 2

Six elements of ACE

ACE has six priority elements. Many who work in ACE programmes believe that all six elements should be included in any climate change communication initiative. The elements are

• education
• public awareness
• training
• public participation
• public access to information
• international co-operation

Each element is explained below.

The importance of each element

Education – Change habits in the long term Education seeks to achieve profound, long-term changes in understanding, particularly among young people. It involves developing educational curricula adequate pedagogies (teaching methods) the training of trainers and teachers The results of a successful programme would ultimately be changing the habits of a population so that their deep-seated appreciation of the climate challenge leads to greater national action and commitment. Training – Develop practical skills Training programmes seek to spread specific practical skills that can have an immediate practical application. Examples include the ability to gather and interpret climate data, conduct inventories of national emissions and identify climate-friendly technologies. Training is about learning by doing – and individuals, communities and organisations can all benefit from ongoing learning. Public awareness – Reach people of all ages and walks of life Many governments and non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations and United Nations agencies have already launched major public awareness programmes. But there are definitely unmet needs for more outreach. Creating a successful outreach programme that truly changes behaviour involves targeted and systematic communications, as well as social marketing principles and processes, which are quite exciting because they are so successful. See: What Is Social Marketing? Guide to Community-Based Social Marketing Public access to information – Make information freely available Programmes to engage citizens and civil society organisations in addressing climate change can be improved by ensuring that information is freely available. This is crucial in order to develop and implement effective policies and to actively engage people in implementing these policies. Technologies such as databases and the Internet facilitate the provision of climate information, data and statistics to all citizens. Public participation – Involve all stakeholders in decision-making and implementation Governments should try to include lots of different perspectives by mobilising the general public to participate effectively in climate change decision-making and climate mitigation and adaptation activities. In some places, involving all stakeholders (those who have a personal or business interest in the outcome) will prompt profound changes in how political leaders and civil servants work with the public, while also encouraging citizens to be more attentive to policymaking. International co-operation – Strengthen co-operation, joint efforts and knowledge exchange International co-operation and exchange can play a major role in strengthening ACE efforts. Many governments and relevant stakeholders need access to expertise and both financial and technical resources so that they can develop their own climate change programmes. All countries can benefit from sharing success stories, exchanging personnel and strengthening institutional capacity. — Adapted from UNESCO and UNFCCC (2016), Action for Climate Empowerment: Guidelines for Accelerating Solutions Through Education, Training and Public Awareness