Scotland’s climate change public conversations series

Scotland has the most ambitious climate change laws in the world, and the Scottish government recognises that achieving their targets is dependent on the ongoing support of their citizens. We were commissioned to provide resources that would encourage discussion about climate change among the Scottish public.

When the Scottish government initiated the Climate Change Public Conversation Series, ClimateXChange (Scotland’s centre of expertise on climate change) commissioned us to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to holding public climate conversations.

These resources will be of value to any organisation wishing to encourage discussion and action on climate change in and beyond Scotland, and were featured in the Huffington Post.

Download report

The resources include:

‘How to guide’ (available for download above): an evidence-based practical guide to holding public conversations about climate change. Includes a script and supporting materials.
Three reports on the research behind the ‘How to guide’:
- - ‘Desk review’: provides an overview of participatory climate change research in the UK and identifies best practice principles for running climate change workshops with the public
  - ‘Findings from the workshops’: includes an in-depth account of the findings from this project’s research workshops
  - ‘Framework for developing conversations’: explains how the findings from the research workshops were used to design the ‘How to’ guide

Updates since release:

September 2017: the Scottish government released a report outlining findings from 27 conversations held using our Public Climate Conversations methodology. These findings are being used to further develop the Scottish government’s draft Climate Change Plan.
March 2018: the Climate Conversations model was included in the Scottish government’s ‘Climate Change Plan – Third report on proposals and policies, 2018-2032′. The report highlights that “these climate conversations are continuing through local groups across Scotland, and the findings will inform the development of government policy”.

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