Communicating drought risks & engaging the public

Despite the understandable level of attention currently focused on engaging the public around flood risks, the UK also faces serious drought risks in a changing climate. The RCUK DRY project (Drought Risk and You) is exploring... [ view full abstract ]

Despite the understandable level of attention currently focused on engaging the public around flood risks, the UK also faces serious drought risks in a changing climate. The RCUK DRY project (Drought Risk and You) is exploring how a science-narrative approach might be developed to engage stakeholders. In initial scoping, the national Stakeholder Competency Group of the ‘DRY’ project and Local Advisory Groups from DRY’s seven case-study catchments, highlighted the challenge of communicating about drought risk as a significant issue for their organisations. In response to this feedback and comments, a communications ‘briefing paper’ was produced by the DRY project team, summarising and synthesising key findings from existing literature on public engagement with drought risks in a changing climate. The briefing was written with non-academic stakeholders and practitioners in mind, as a tool for knowledge exchange and to enhance the effectiveness of public engagement. In this presentation, we will outline the main messages in the briefing paper, which include:
• There is no ‘one size fits all’ drought communication strategy
• The effectiveness of any messaging around drought will l be affected by its timing
• People are more likely to engage with drought messages if they trust the ‘messenger’
• Scientific facts alone are not sufficient to engage people with drought risk – it is important to provide a compelling narrative, grounded in people’s values
• There is majority support amongst the UK public for investment in climate change adaptation
• Focusing on local climate impacts can help some audiences engage with narratives about drought risk and climate change more broadly
• Connecting drought risks to health impacts can make the issue more personally relevant
• Avoid ‘doom and gloom’ messages, and focus on the opportunities and benefits of taking action to mitigate drought risks
This presentation will invite commentary from symposium participants on the question of how to embed practical lessons such as these from the academic literature in stakeholder practices for public engagement. Is the growing evidence-base on public engagement with drought risks being taken up beyond academia? How can the DRY project’s wider aims – and science/narrative approach – aid more impactful public engagement?