How do knowledge brokers bridge the gap between climate scientists and decision-makers? Government and industry are responding at speed to the climate crisis. As decision-makers formulate a range of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, they inevitably engage with climate science on a variety of levels. However, creating effective policies based on the ‘best available science’ isn’t always easy. For example, decision-makers sometimes find it hard to determine the usefulness of research findings. By working at the interface of researchers and policy-makers, knowledge brokers facilitate engagement and communication between the two parties, achieving improved outcomes for all. In our new briefing note (web version is accessible here:https://lnkd.in/gqWiGsZM), we explore some ways they accomplish this, which include: - Helping researchers understand non-academic audiences and disseminate their research using appropriate communication. Translating scientific research into “plain English” is a major part of the knowledge brokering role. - Providing reliable sources of information trusted by researchers as well as stakeholders. - Facilitating and engaging in the co-design of targeted research or informing the academic community of possible research questions or novel applications of research findings. - Helping decision-makers draw appropriate conclusions from climate information. - Helping stakeholders identify sources of uncertainty - such as assumptions made in climate simulations or constraints in computing power. Learn more about how knowledge brokers improve understanding across the scientist/decision-maker relationship here: https://lnkd.in/gqWiGsZM As the climate crisis unfolds and policy responses gather pace, knowledge brokers can bring decision makers and climate scientists together to understand and appreciate the fundamentals and behaviour of the climate system. This will help apply relevant policy responses more effectively on the scale required. Angela Kaplish Georgina Harmer Alice Wilson Paola Petrelli Andrew Pitman, AO, FAA
Peta Collins
1mo
I’d also extend this to acknowledge the important role knowledge brokers have in bringing community into discussion, to support social license in decision-making about climate mitigation and adaptation solutions.
The role of knowledge brokers in bridging the gap between climate scientists and decision-makers is crucial. At Emmi, we see our role similarly - translating complex climate data into actionable insights for investors and businesses. This approach is key to properly incentivising and mobilising capital so that we can accelerate decarbonisation in the fastest and most cost effective way.