National Academies Press: OpenBook

Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan (2019)

Chapter: The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative

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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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Suggested Citation:"The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Climate Communications Initiative Strategic Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25368.
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The Strategic Plan for the Climate Communications Initiative Vision This strategic plan for the National Academies is based on the following vision: The National Academies serve as a beacon to the nation for the best available scientific and technological information to effectively anticipate and respond to climate-related challenges and opportunities. This plan provides a starting point and guidance for advancing how the National Academies engage with audiences about the climate, with the understanding that priorities will be responsive to evaluation and adapted as the institution learns more about its audiences and their needs. Priorities and recommended approaches in the CCI strategy have been and will continue to be informed by the growing body of evidence from the science of science communication. In addition, this plan provides guidance that should build on and leverage the current communication activities at the National Academies, not displace them. This strategy begins with an overview of the priority audiences and stakeholders for the National Academies’ climate-related work that the Advisory Committee identified. Potential Audiences and Stakeholders The National Academies are advisers to the nation. The Advisory Committee took a broad view of “the nation,” including in its definition federal policy makers and analysts as well as non-federal public and private decision makers who would be likely to benefit from having clear and credible information from the National Academies related to climate. These decision makers vary with respect to the types and nature of decisions they make; their prior knowledge and technical expertise; and their geographical, social, and political circumstances. It will be essential for the National Academies to learn more about the variation within these groups in order to prioritize and inform their subsequent activities. Reaching and meeting the needs of these audiences formed the basis for the overall goals of the plan: Goal 1: Improve the National Academies’ ability to meet the needs of federal agencies and Congress to incorporate the best available scientific and technological advice related to the climate in decision and policy making. Goal 2: Expand the National Academies’ reach and impact through engaging non-federal audiences that want or need both credible and useful information about climate and its potential impacts, as well as effective strategies for prediction, mitigation, and adaptation. First, the CCI should build the National Academies’ capacity to effectively communicate with federal audiences about climate-related issues. The National Academies’ core role has been, and will continue to be, to advise Congress and federal agencies. The National Academy of Sciences was chartered by Congress in 1863 to provide an objective, independent source of scientific advice for the nation at the 4

height of the Civil War and to “investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science” whenever called on to do so by any department of the government. Over time, this institution expanded to become advisers on all matters of science, engineering, and medicine as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It is important to note that the mission of the National Academies is to provide scientific and technological advice that is policy relevant, but not policy prescriptive. The federal audience is not monolithic. It is composed of specific legislators and their respective staffs, as well as agencies, offices, committees, and specific individuals within each of these. These individuals and the decision-making contexts in which they work change over time. Efforts to learn from and communicate with people involved with decision making at the federal level will involve individual-level outreach and ongoing forms of engagement that build on the current efforts of the National Academies. Second, the CCI should build the National Academies’ capacity to effectively communicate with non- federal decision-making audiences about climate-related issues. The nation is responding to climate change impacts at many levels beyond the federal government, including at the state and regional policy level, as well as among business leaders and others in the private sector. People from across the nation are affected by these decisions, and it is the role of the National Academies as the nation’s adviser on science, engineering, and medicine to inform those decisions. The Advisory Committee also believes that the CCI provides an avenue to reach audiences with relevant climate interests that may value the objectivity and credibility of the institution on this challenging topic and that may have otherwise avoided engagement on the topic because of perceived partisanship from other groups working in the space. The institution can expand its efforts to engage with audiences and intermediaries to make its work more useful at all levels of society, including:  State, local, and tribal decision makers. Decision makers at the state, local (including cities), and tribal level often bear much of the responsibility for addressing issues affected by climate variability, extreme weather, and climate change, such as water supply, coastal erosion and inundation, and wildfires. These decision makers have a need for sound science and actionable information to inform their choices. These decision makers can include elected officials and their staff, state and local agency leaders, urban or regional planners, and myriad other state- and local-level associations, such as those serving farmers or fishermen.  Education and youth communities. Science teachers at all levels of education, along with those in the informal science community who work in settings such as museums, botanical gardens, planetariums, and zoos or who host community events around science, educate others on the science and impacts of climate change. Their work is influenced by a much broader ecosystem of individuals and organizations that shape what is taught and presented, such as curriculum developers and publishers, trainers, administrators, professional associations, and school and community boards. The National Academies have developed relationships with many of these audiences, through which more can be learned about their needs and preferences for climate- related information.  Health community. The National Academies have a long history of advising the health community—physicians and health care providers, public health officials, health administrators, researchers, and others—with the best available science. The CCI provides an important opportunity to connect climate-related information relevant to human health with these 5

audiences. Audiences would include professional associations and other health organizations at the national and state levels.  Private-sector industries. The Advisory Committee identified several industries and professions that the National Academies could better connect with for its climate-related work while avoiding conflict of interest. In the financial sector, banks, insurers, reinsurers, project financers, underwriters, and those that regulate them make decisions about future investments in building, infrastructure, and resilience to climatic change (e.g., flood-plain definitions). There is also an opportunity to find new ways to engage and learn about the needs for climate-related information from engineering professionals and energy companies, especially regarding how they could use the National Academies’ work to inform how they evaluate risks and develop solutions.  Foundations. The philanthropic community has been making increasing contributions to the nation’s efforts to understand, mitigate, and respond to climate change. There may be opportunities for the National Academies to better inform the portfolios of work for foundations with an interest in climate-related topics. The Advisory Committee notes that many other potential sectors and audiences for National Academies climate information exist that could be added to this list (e.g., disadvantaged communities; the agricultural, recreational, or real estate sectors; or economists). Other groups, such as the media (journalists and other communicators across various media platforms), are the primary intermediary through which the National Academies reach public audiences and broader stakeholder groups. Through its activities, the CCI will facilitate coordination between the existing public information capabilities of the institution with the best available information about climate. However, the Advisory Committee recommends prioritizing the CCI activities for federal and other specific non-federal decision-making audiences rather than the public at large. The following section describes an approach for the National Academies to identify and prioritize those specific audiences whose information needs they are best suited to serve over time. The CCI Priorities The Advisory Committee identified four priority activities for the National Academies to focus their CCI efforts and resources in order to accomplish both goals. These are:  Priority 1: Development and implementation of a systematic approach to understanding, anticipating, and rapidly meeting audience needs.  Priority 2: Development of mechanisms and platforms to ensure content is user-centric— timely, relevant, current, and accessible.  Priority 3: Engagement in proactive collaborations with other vetted organizations to increase the impact and reach of the National Academies’ climate-related work.  Priority 4: Establishment of institutional structures and support to advance and sustain other CCI priority activities. 6

These priorities are interdependent and should be approached in parallel. Fundamentally, the National Academies need supporting infrastructure and expertise to understand, anticipate, and meet the needs of their audiences, as well as more accessible content to rapidly respond to opportunities. Making content easily accessible to different users requires engaging with and learning from those audiences, both current and new. Establishing new collaborations with external organizations can provide a mechanism to reach new audiences, learn about their needs, and inform new content, as well as increase the reach and impact of the National Academies’ climate-related work by leveraging new voices. A level of institutionalization not currently in place is required to support and sustain shared learning across the National Academies about audiences and how to better meet their needs and in turn serve the nation. In the sections that follow, context is provided for the priorities chosen, desired long-term outcomes, and recommendations for near-term steps the institution can take to get started. Priority 1: Understanding Audiences In this section, we describe a proposed “Communications Learning Cycle” as a guide for the National Academies to institute a systematic approach to understanding audiences. We describe general approaches and ways to engage with and learn from both federal and non-federal audiences, including direct engagement with audiences and with intermediaries connected to these audiences. We also discuss how to plan for sustaining this systematic approach. Lastly, we provide near-term recommendations as initial steps toward the desired long-term outcomes for understanding audiences:  The National Academies are a proactive organization that regularly engages in stakeholder dialogue to better anticipate and respond to the needs of society.  The National Academies are a learning organization, and this learning informs the shaping of both new work and content.  The National Academies have a clear picture of who is being reached with their climate-related content and how well that information is meeting audience needs. The National Academies have an opportunity to be more systematic in learning about and from their current and potential audiences for their climate-related work. By doing so, the National Academies can make their work available and useful to more people. We endorse recommendations that have already been made to the National Academies along these lines: that understanding of audiences should inform the work going forward. In addition, this strategy should be approached systematically. We believe that understanding audiences should be part of an ongoing cycle and become standard practice for all National Academies activities. THE COMMUNICATIONS LEARNING CYCLE We define the communications learning cycle as a process composed of four phases:  Listen and Learn: Listen to and learn from audiences about their needs for information, their communication and information-seeking preferences, how they incorporate climate-related 7

information into decisions, and what opportunities there may be for the National Academies to fill unmet needs  Build Relationships: Establish and build relationships with audiences to engage in ongoing dialogue  Proactively Engage: Develop products and communications approaches for audiences based on available material and/or identified needs  Evaluate and Adjust: Evaluate the efficacy of products and approaches and identify new contacts and partners for future learning Listen and Build Learn Relationships Evaluate and Proactively Adjust Engage The starting point for this process will necessarily differ because current levels of engagement with audiences and information about their interests, needs, and preferences for the National Academies’ climate information vary widely across divisions, boards, and studies. In some cases, ongoing work has already led to a deep understanding of particular audiences (e.g., science educators). However, in other cases, learning about and listening to new potential audiences will be a first step in the communications learning cycle. Furthermore, audiences and their needs evolve over time, necessitating a cyclical process. Although the National Academies need to know more than they currently do about each of their potential audiences for climate-related information, determining what is important to know about audiences begins with an understanding of the National Academies’ goals for communicating with these particular audiences about climate-related issues. These specific goals will be derived through a parallel process of examining what audiences want and need, and the current or future capacity of the National Academies to meet those needs. The latter will be derived through a detailed analysis of the National Academies’ inventory of climate-related information (see Priority 2). APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING AUDIENCES The diagram below presents a way to identify and prioritize audience engagement activities that the CCI could undertake. 8

First, the National Academies need a baseline understanding of how they are reaching and engaging their current audiences, and of the current inventory of information related to climate on which to draw and build. This diagram should be used to depict audiences’ baseline level of engagement with the National Academies and their climate-related content and the National Academies’ ability to meet that audience’s desired content needs (by using existing work or having the ability to develop that work). This analysis, along with input from the Advisory Committee, can help the National Academies determine the key audiences, goals, and activities for which the National Academies are well suited and thereby avoid pursuing too many different goals at once.5 The previously outlined communications learning cycle will then be the “vehicle” for increasing audience engagement (efforts to move “up” on the diagram) and for increasing the match of National Academies’ climate content to audiences’ needs (efforts to move “right” on the diagram). Ultimately, the value of this approach is not in retrospective analysis of content or audience engagement, but in its use to prospectively guide future work and engagement. Communication Goals Based on the Alignment Between Different Audiences’ Awareness, Interest, and Needs and the National Academies’ Capacities and Content 5 This process may reveal topics of interest to decision makers with a range of viewpoints, along with potentially productive ways to engage them. The Advisory Committee recommends that the National Academies identify these important opportunities, but it counsels against devoting significant resources to reaching those that have strongly held views and little interest in engaging with the National Academies on topics related to the climate. 9

A more detailed and systematic stakeholder analysis should be undertaken to better understand federal audiences and, in the first phase of implementation, one or two non-federal audiences (as resources allow) to gather information to guide the content and form of climate-related communications. For example, for groups that fall in the lower portion of the diagram, an audience analysis would examine factors associated with increasing engagement with and awareness of the National Academies, whereas for groups that fall in the upper portion of the diagram, analyses would focus on ways to communicate the types of information they would find most relevant and useful. In both instances, information gathered would also be used to evaluate whether to pursue collaborations with other organizations (see Priority 3). The CCI will use this information to improve subsequent activities to understand audiences before pursuing further stakeholder analyses with additional audiences. For audiences with whom the National Academies have had little contact, such as the finance industry, conducting more specific and targeted outreach, administering simple questionnaires, or holding “listening” events could be the starting points to learn about these audiences. Conducting outreach to organizations that serve and are familiar with these new audiences for the National Academies may be an additional approach to consider for learning about their needs for climate-related information and areas for future studies and engagement. Approaches for learning about audiences could be undertaken initially by CCI staff, or later by National Academies boards or other project staff. Data-gathering and analysis approaches would vary based on the communication activities and priorities as shown in the diagram and may need to be conducted by engaging outside expertise. However, the National Academies might also logically invest in a more robust institutional capability to learn about audiences in an ongoing way that could be applied to their work on climate, as well as additional work in other areas at the National Academies. INSTITUTIONALIZING UNDERSTANDING AUDIENCES Ideally, learning from and about the audiences for the National Academies’ climate-related information will become a standard institutional practice that guides the ways in which the work is communicated and the types of engagement with others through convening activities and other means. Institutionalizing these practices for understanding audiences will require institution-wide support. The effort will require resources to gather and analyze information, as well as to coordinate, curate, and share it with others across the National Academies. Needed resources may include outside expertise, such as social scientists or communication experts who could help develop, analyze, and interpret stakeholder analyses. The Advisory Committee also recommends that the National Academies analyze the nature of queries they receive on climate-related issues. These analyses would help with understanding the patterns of questions posed and their underlying bases. Over time, patterns will become evident that will help staff and National Academies volunteers anticipate and prepare for these varying kinds of questions. Analyses should also seek to examine the efficacy of the responses and stakeholder satisfaction with these responses. An audience insights team could be responsible for this work. The work of such a team 10

would serve as a vital program development and communications resource, especially for National Academies board and division directors. Near-Term Recommendations:  Using inventory and knowledge of audience awareness, interest, and needs related to the climate, prepare an initial plotting of audiences on the diagram to determine early communication goals and approaches.  Conduct a systematic stakeholder and network analysis to decide the priorities for engagement efforts.  Build institutional capability for ongoing learning about audience needs for climate-related information.  Establish a process by which audience insights are mainstreamed into regular National Academies communication practices and in the development of new work. Priority 2: User-Centric, Climate-Related Content The National Academies should become more user-centric in their communication of climate-related information by producing more relevant and more accessible climate-related content that is informed by user needs and is discoverable and quickly accessible when needed. Definitions for the CCI Strategy Increasing the relevance of the National Academies’ climate-related work implies that for a given user, enough of the information that the user finds or receives pertains to that individual’s questions and issues and is tailored specifically for or is useful to the user’s particular context. Increasing the accessibility of the National Academies’ climate-related work implies that for a given user, the content is provided in the right format based on how the individual most easily consumes information and the information provided is understandable to the user. Increasing the ability of the National Academies to supply climate-related information quickly (increasing “timeliness”) in response to specific queries or events implies that the information is ready when needed and is both relevant and accessible, or can speak to a public “moment” or news cycle and correct the record quickly if necessary. In this section, we recommend the National Academies undertake three specific tasks to increase the relevance, accessibility, and timeliness of their climate-related work: 1. Create a user-centric climate content inventory. 2. Create an updated, digital-first climate portal that draws from the climate content inventory. 11

3. Develop a quick-response capability that both draws on and provides input to the inventory and portal. These activities should feed one another, draw on audience insights, and build on the foundation of existing work, relationships, and engagement activities from across the National Academies (as indicated in the diagram below). We first outline the development of a user-centric inventory of the National Academies’ climate-related content, which should rely heavily on Priority 1 activities to ensure the relevance for users. We then describe a process by which the National Academies could create and evaluate a portal for climate- related information from across the institution. Lastly, we provide guidance for developing a quick- response capability, including how and when to use it. These three activities should serve as initial steps toward the following desired long-term outcomes:  The National Academies have a functional, searchable inventory of climate-related work that leverages machine learning (automatically incorporating new questions and insights from users) and can be used to quickly respond to specific queries or events.  The National Academies’ climate-related content is optimized for search engines and social media platforms to ensure that highly credible science is prominent in climate-change searches, and misinformation and falsehoods are less prominent.  Future National Academies studies are designed to maximize their relevance, accessibility, and timeliness for their audiences. 12

USER-CENTRIC CLIMATE CONTENT INVENTORY To better understand, unlock, and fill the gaps in the National Academies’ scholarship, the Advisory Committee recommends the creation of a user-centric climate content inventory for their climate- related work, one that would be informed by the relevant questions and needs of different audiences and that would provide a much more easily accessible interface to the storehouse of climate-related work from across the institution. This internal change in the way the work is inventoried would feed an external, more user-friendly portal (discussed in the next section). The inventory structure and content should be adaptable to what is obtained through the communications learning cycle outlined in Priority 1 and should have built-in mechanisms for incorporating new information and insights regularly. Such an inventory would help to easily identify what is available, what could be synthesized, and where gaps exist that future reports could address. The inventory process should serve the internal needs of staff to understand the nature of the portfolio, as well as the external needs for more searchable information. The National Academies would also need to develop supporting infrastructure that would allow easier access to climate-related content and analysis with an improved archival system and powerful search function, as previously recommended to the institution. Going forward, we believe that the National Academies should explore ways to use artificial intelligence or other data analytics tools to optimize access to their growing inventory.6 The Advisory Committee also believes that this approach to understanding and organizing the inventory should be used prospectively to communicate with the sponsors of future studies about how the work may be useful to a range of potential audiences. Categorizing Content Based on Use The creation of a user-centric inventory requires understanding how the existing content is currently used. There is a spectrum of types of National Academies reports and a range of ways that an audience interacts with a given report. Of course, in most cases, a report is considered most useful for the individual sponsor that requests it, and the development of the Statement of Task at the project outset affects what level of direct utility the report will have for other users. For example, a document or a strategic plan review may be directly actionable for the group that produced the draft document, but would not be scoped to be useful to other audiences. On the other hand, laying out a research agenda in a particular subject area may be actionable for an agency looking to put in place research priorities, and also generally informative for the broader scientific community. For the bulk of its history, the National Academies have focused primarily on producing content to advise the nation through their work to support federal agencies and Congress, and an understanding of 6 Previously mentioned efforts at the National Academies to transform the institution will likely incorporate broad consideration of the institution’s communications and information technology capabilities. To whatever extent possible, recommendations in this plan should feed those efforts. 13

how federal audiences have used climate-related reports is an important first step. This can include searching public records covering congressional hearings, reviewing legislation, and analyzing member communications to constituents and other materials, as well as interviewing key congressional and agency staff involved in the report at the time. In addition, gathering information about the particular decision-making contexts surrounding this use can be important for understanding what lessons might be applicable to future work. This analysis might identify opportunities and barriers for future reports in the federal audience context. A more comprehensive and systematic analysis of the inventory might also reveal unexpected ways that reports have been useful to other audiences, in other contexts, and over time. The envisioned climate content inventory would not be simply a database of reports. Rather, creating a user-centric inventory of climate-related work will involve unlocking the storehouse of content within reports, identifying information with the potential to be relevant to different audiences, and aggregating information on similar topics across reports. Designing the inventory based on how the information could be used would increase the value of the information contained in existing reports. As part of this process, the individual recommendations and sections within reports should be reviewed to determine the extent to which they are more or less useful to different audiences. Going forward, this user-centric categorization, if adopted, should also be considered at the start of each new project and incorporated into the inventory as those works are being created. For simplicity, we identify three categories for the National Academies to consider in developing a user- centric climate content inventory, but a more nuanced and complicated taxonomy may be more appropriate. 1. Specific and actionable: Some content (and/or reports) addresses a specific and clear application and the results will be used to inform specific decisions. Examples of this work include document and plan reviews, reports developed to answer specific questions for sponsors, and recommendations to particular agencies or actors conducting more broadly scoped work. 2. Specific and informational: Some content is intended to shape research agendas or other federal science efforts around climate but may be of limited interest beyond the federal science enterprise. 3. General and informational: Some content adds to, or amplifies specific aspects of, the general knowledge of the field of climate and related sciences. Other Categorizations and Elements for an Accessible Inventory Topically, there are also different ways to categorize climate-related content that should be explored and identified in the initial stages of inventory development. The National Academies should consult with other agencies and organizations that have employed different taxonomies for similar purposes to determine what works well and evaluate any search terms to ensure that they are intuitive to target audiences and stakeholders. One possible categorization would be: 14

 Climate science and subtopics thereof (e.g., anthropogenic climate change, natural variability, projections, uncertainty, and risk)  Climate impacts and subtopics thereof: topical (e.g., physical, biological, societal, health), geographic (e.g., local, national, global), temporal (e.g., now, later)  Responses: adaptation, mitigation (e.g., carbon dioxide removal and sequestration, renewable energy), geoengineering (e.g., solar radiation management) When determining how to categorize content, the National Academies should also consider:  How to focus on items within reports that are actionable for distinct communities, centered on these questions: What do they need to know? What might they want to know?  In major disciplines (or topically as outlined above) where reports are generated, how much of the information is actionable or relevant to key audiences? To create or support policy? To impact funding decisions? What information is applicable to work in other disciplines and other communities? How can information be integrated for audiences across these disciplines? For this user-centric inventory to be most accessible, the inventory should also include relevant data on the full/parent report for any piece of content, primary and secondary subject matter, year of publication, sponsor(s), type of activity (e.g., consensus study, workshop proceedings), degree of technical complexity, staff contact, and committee membership, as well as policy and other actionable recommendations. Initiating Inventory Development Developing the inventory will require a process for determining what is current and relevant from past work and building in a mechanism for evaluating the inventory. Initial efforts should focus on more recent work and specifically on content that is considered “evergreen” or unlikely to require an update in the near future. Additionally, the National Academies would need to create an internal mechanism to add new work as it is developed. This process should advance in coordination with the National Academies Press to consider the existing structure and tags for the inventory of reports it maintains, as well as future changes it may adopt. This effort should also take into account the way that climate information is located through external databases and search engines (e.g., for published journal articles on topics such as Earth, the environment, health, and engineering sciences). Evaluating the Inventory Evaluating the inventory in conjunction with Priority 1 activities would be critical to learn about what and how needs are being met with the National Academies’ current body of climate-related work. In addition, conducting a “gap analysis” would help to identify the mismatches between what the National Academies have already produced in the area of climate and what their intended audiences actually use (also informed by Priority 1 activities). Analyses from the evaluation could identify opportunities for 15

studies that would be carried out in various parts of the institution and could provide shared knowledge of needs and uses across different stakeholder groups. The National Academies should consider establishing a cross-disciplinary team of climate experts, communication professionals, and National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and National Academy of Medicine (NAM) members to determine the quality of the portfolio and perform the evaluation against a to-be-established set of metrics. This team could be used to identify gaps in the foundational work, opportunities to update specific material, or areas for longitudinal studies with identified periodicity. Priority 1 activities may indicate specific audiences for which synthesizing information around a particular topic or decision space may be useful (e.g., see the diagram on page 10, upper right corner). For example, the National Academies could consider developing syntheses around particular topics and intersections of topics, such as carbon management; food, water, and drought; energy and climate; climate and health; climate and weather; climate and transportation; and climate and agriculture, or relevance to key business opportunities (e.g., tourism, insurance, or real estate). The National Academies could also use the inventory to prepare targeted bibliographies of existing works for focused outreach. The National Academies should allocate the resources necessary to do testing in the early stages of the inventory to evaluate how useful tags and categories are to potential audiences. This will allow the National Academies not only to see whether information being collected is useful to some potential internal and external audiences, but also to test the effectiveness of the format to present the information to those audiences. Ultimately, this should be a “living” inventory in which tags and content are growing and updated, informed by the learning process, and useful internally and externally for easily finding needed information. A DIGITAL-FIRST CLIMATE PORTAL AND MORE ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTS The National Academies should make their climate-related content more accessible by ensuring it is understandable to different audiences and by considering where and how they seek and consume information. The National Academies should more regularly use modern formats, platforms, and modes of communication, and the Advisory Committee endorses previous recommendations to the National Academies to update practices in light of the increasing digitization of media consumption. As an initial activity, the Advisory Committee recommends that the National Academies develop a digital-first7 climate portal. This portal would necessarily draw from the user-centric climate inventory outlined previously in this section. Such a digital climate portal would provide an essential resource for quickly locating content for time-sensitive queries in a range of scenarios. It will also help the institution 7 “Digital-first” refers to both the platform (e.g., highly accessible on mobile devices), as well as the development of the content itself in a user-centric way with consideration of how it will be consumed on different digital platforms. 16

identify what information is available, what could be synthesized, and where gaps exist that future reports could address. The content in the digital portal would primarily be based on the user-centric inventory. In addition, some preliminary elements of the portal could leverage or repurpose existing print and digital resources that synthesize information from National Academies reports (e.g., Climate Change: Evidence and Causes). The National Academies should also consider including content from external reports that have been officially reviewed by National Academies’ ad hoc committees—such as the National Climate Assessment, which could supplement the National Academies’ own content with additional timely and relevant information. The National Academies currently support a single web portal that points to all climate-related content, activities, and events: Climate Change at the National Academies (http://nas.edu/climate). However, this website should be redesigned to make it more amenable to answering specific questions or addressing decision needs. The Advisory Committee proposes reworking this website according to topic (e.g., climate science, impacts, and responses) in a multi-layered manner (i.e., with increasing technical detail) that builds on existing communications materials, such as the 2014 Climate Change: Evidence and Causes8 resources, which is organized in a “Q&A” format. Developing the taxonomy for organizing information and the digital infrastructure to support a searchable inventory would allow it to be continually updated and informed by Priority 1 activities. A longer-term goal would be for this portal (and perhaps eventually the National Academies reports themselves) to incorporate machine learning, so that it can be more automatically updated as more content is produced and more individuals interact with the inventory. At a minimum, the portal should be designed such that available analytics tools can be used to gather, assess, and track visitors’ use of the resource. This analysis could provide helpful feedback for incorporation in the user-centric content inventory. Proposed steps to support inventory and portal development:  Establish an initial set of responses to common queries by pulling from and updating current content (e.g., Climate Change: Evidence and Causes [2014]);  Develop new web architecture for the Climate Change at the National Academies website that will support topical, multi-layered access to content;  Review existing climate-related reports and communications materials to identify content suitable for inclusion in the inventory;  Populate updated web architecture with content from updated and existing materials; and  Establish external advisory capability and procedures for updating website content and adding new content. 8 National Academy of Sciences. 2014. Climate Change: Evidence and Causes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18730. 17

Not all user needs can and will be met with a web-based portal, so in addition, other products and platforms more suitable and adaptable to 21st-century communication should be utilized whenever possible. These include infographics, multimedia and social media toolkits, regular multimedia series (YouTube videos, podcasts), and Reddit AMAs. Graphical two-page summaries for reports may be useful for Congress and other particular audiences. Reducing the length of a report’s summary to its key messages, reviewed to carry the full imprimatur of the National Academies, may facilitate wider readership, and such summaries could easily be distributed to congressional offices and other groups, such as professional societies for distribution to their membership. Use of other platforms should be determined by what is learned about audiences and how they consume information under Priority 1 activities. ABILITY TO RESPOND QUICKLY To increase their value to the nation, the National Academies need to be nimbler and more responsive in their provision of information and advice. One capacity that the National Academies should more intentionally develop in particular to meet this aim is a quick-response capability—both to public statements or debate and to specific queries—for situations that necessitate response in a 24- to 48- hour timeframe (e.g., questions from the media). In addition to developing procedures and guidelines for such a capability, responding to specific questions would be enabled by more accessible resources, including the work itself (e.g., climate content inventory and digital-first portal) and the experts (committee members, volunteers, or other National Academies spokespeople). Developing the capacity to support a quick response as outlined in the sections that follow would prepare the National Academies to more readily react when needed, but also allow for rapid proactive communication on climate-related issues. Ideally, the creation of the portal described in the previous section provides a platform to house developed responses that could be called on at will. Developing a quick-response capability requires a set of procedures to guide when and how the National Academies respond (or do not respond) in a swift and coordinated fashion to crises, news events, select instances of misinformation, or social media interest in the public sphere on climate-related issues. Maintaining this capability will require an infrastructure that makes internal content easily navigable and searchable. It would also require staff who are equipped to prepare to produce responses across a variety of media (e.g., social media, other media more relevant for communication with Congress) in both strategic and creative ways. In this section, we focus on public responses; however, the provision of responses privately and directly can be even more effective in many situations. The same structures and tools underpinning the public response can assist with gathering information for private responses. 18

Deciding When to Respond The National Academies may decide to respond quickly in a variety of situations, including when public statements are made that contain scientifically incorrect climate information and that have the potential to confuse or misinform. The National Academies could also decide to proactively communicate quickly when there is significant potential for misinformation. Several situations could trigger and provide justification for a quick response, for instance:  When the issue at stake was the topic of a National Academies consensus study report (or other National Academies work or statements) and the National Academies can use the results as the basis of their science-based communication. This is especially true if the National Academies document itself is being made an issue.  When climate science is being mischaracterized or ignored, particularly by highly influential individuals or groups, even in cases when the National Academies have not provided a public response in the past. This is especially true if few others are responding to the misinformation and if the National Academies’ intervention would make a particular difference.  Ahead of an anticipated event, enabling the National Academies to help proactively steer the public conversation.  When given a time-sensitive request, for example, from the media or congressional staff. Importantly, the Advisory Committee is recommending that the National Academies not respond to every instance of a discussion regarding climate science or to every comment about their studies. They have to pick and choose based on the importance of the issue or moment, the centrality of the science to the issue, the degree to which the misstatements or lack of statements on science are off base, and the political consequences of involvement for future National Academies efforts. The Advisory Committee recognizes that the act of responding publicly in any manner on climate-related issues presents the risk of appearing partisan because of the polarization of the topic. In addition, the National Academies generally should not comment when the fundamental dispute is over the policy or budget aspects rather than a characterization of the science, engineering, or health aspects of an issue. Framework for Making Decisions About Responding The National Academies should establish a framework9 to help guide the process for determining when and when not to respond. Part of that framework could include a decision-support tool that identifies the top-level criteria for consideration in when to respond (e.g., a decision tree or grid). The outcome from applying the decision-support tool would inform the National Academies (the “who” described in the following section) what “moments” (i.e., the situations identified above) would indicate when a conversation is needed. An “after-action report” should be created that summarizes the situation and 9 For purposes of this section, this framework should apply to instances of public discourse, rather than the individual responses to media or congressional queries, for which the National Academies have fairly clear modes of operation. 19

outcome as a catalogue of how the tool is used, by which the approach can be assessed and improved in the future. For any decision-support tool used, consideration of the following criteria should be incorporated:  The moment involves a significant or a direct mischaracterization of a National Academies’ climate consensus study report: This may be considered an almost automatic “yes” decision on whether to make a response, although direct contact with the source of the mischaracterization may be considered more effective, especially as may be the case for a political official.  The moment is relevant to the National Academies’ core role as an “adviser to the nation” on climate science: For example, if a statement took place in front of a key audience (such as a congressional audience or a federal decision-making body) or the person or group making the comment is likely to influence the views of an important segment of the population.  It is appropriate for the National Academies to respond: Responding would not damage the National Academies’ reputation as a non-partisan, objective broker among political, ideological, or scientific factions. No quick response should undermine the National Academies’ brand or their credibility and authority. Would it be more appropriate for others, such as committee members, volunteers, and NAS, NAE, and NAM members to respond to the moment instead?  The National Academies are uniquely positioned to productively address this moment about climate: For example, the National Academies’ expertise and role give it the authority and credibility to address the moment for the audiences who are listening.  The moment has climate science, engineering, or medicine at its core, rather than a difference of opinion over policy: The subject of the discussion or debate hinges on the understanding of climate science rather than being mostly influenced by political or other factors.  A timely response to the moment will help quell or prevent false information about climate from spreading without an evidence-based counterpoint: For example, if the information is false or misleading and has the potential to misinform public understanding of a climate-related issue; it is made in a highly public decision-making venue (e.g., Congress) or platform or by a widely influential person or group; or the medium in which it was provided lends itself to going viral (such as a viral social post) in a way that undermines or damages public understanding.  The moment has engendered widespread discussion and debate about climate: For example, the moment is receiving high levels of public attention.  It is a teachable moment for the National Academies to provide scientific facts and one that may encourage people to seek understanding about climate science: For example, people are actively seeking information on the issue and may be open to information that may not agree with preconceived notions.  The moment has occurred in the context of an election: If the moment occurs in the context of an election, a response may be more or less desirable, depending on the situation. Added attention may provide a teachable moment, but a more charged political climate could pose a risk for the institution to appear partisan. These situations would require additional scrutiny. Ultimate decisions on when to respond to a moment would be made on a case-by-case basis because no one tool could account for all of the nuance in every situation, but the application of such a framework would allow the National Academies to systematically determine when responses should be considered and further conversations held, avoid knee-jerk reactions, and learn from the process. 20

Who and How Each instance of response requires thoughtful consideration about who will decide that a response is warranted and who the designated spokesperson will be. For example, should the same person who decides that a response is needed also act as the spokesperson for the National Academies? The Advisory Committee notes that the further down these authorities (both decision-making and speaking) are able to be delegated, the more quickly the National Academies will be able to use the capability. For instance, as these procedures are refined over time, the decision-support tool could be designed for use by program support staff. If that staff determines that a response may be desired, this could prompt a short discussion with the designated spokesperson or team to make the final decision. The Advisory Committee also recognizes that the decision may necessarily be delegated to different, more senior- level, knowledgeable staff in moments where a clear response is not as easily accessible from the National Academies’ body of work (through the inventory and/or portal). The National Academies should designate, train, and empower an internal “quick-response team” that would apply the decision framework—process and criteria for how and when to respond—and would be adept at writing responses appropriate for different platforms. The National Academies should have clear assignments for monitoring when this is needed, as well as a clear and suitably rapid decision- making process with the National Academies’ leadership. This team would be able to prepare responses, grounded in National Academies consensus study reports and other studies, across a variety of communication media optimized for different audiences (e.g., social media posts as well as two-page briefs for congressional staff). Such a team could also provide training for committee members (and committee chairs, in particular) for specific consensus study reports as needed so that relevant experts could assist in giving a quick response to individual media queries or congressional requests. The control of the team can move down the institutional hierarchy over time as the parameters become clearer. While ensuring that the National Academies’ reputation for independence and non-partisanship is protected, the National Academies could explore recruiting a wider team of recognized subject-matter experts or organizations to provide information to the quick-response team as needed (to suggest relevant links, datasets, and possibly to review and comment on early drafts of responses). The Shape of Quick Responses Any “response” provided would necessarily draw from the National Academies’ body of work and not advocate for particular policies or make other statements that go beyond the state of the science. The Advisory Committee recommends that most responses be brief and provide a link to the National Academies’ longer-form documentation. When the National Academies respond quickly, they could issue a short news release (or not, if the situation does not warrant it), with accompanying social media messages—all of which should link to the digital-first portal, which in turn should reference its authoritative literature. It is important that any response issued by the National Academies accurately represent the science on a topic to avoid enhancing inaccurate statements or reinforcing framing that misrepresents the weight 21

of evidence on scientific issues. To this aim, it may be that “responses” are offered generically without any reference to the source of misstatement or mischaracterization. The National Academies should utilize the proposed digital-first climate portal to provide succinct, plain- language answers to frequently asked questions. As new questions and answers are developed, whether in anticipation of needs or in response to particular moments or queries, they should be added to the repository in the climate portal. The National Academies should draw on other general climate Q&As that they have reviewed or otherwise vetted (e.g., those in the National Climate Assessments) from federal agencies and other organizations who have developed these resources. It should also be noted that in some cases, it may be more appropriate to reach out directly to an official or to a particular reporter who made a false, confusing, or misleading statement, rather than responding publicly. Evaluating the Quick-Response Capability The National Academies should also evaluate the outputs and outcomes of this quick-response capability. Possible tools and metrics to incorporate in evaluation include quantitative elements, such as page views and social media statistics, as well as qualitative elements, such as overall sentiment of the public, public officials, the media, blogs, and social media regarding the National Academies’ responses (using tools like webLyzard’s MediaWatch); sentiment about the information to which the National Academies are responding; and how responding is changing the National Academies’ reputation or visibility. An initial exercise before operationalizing this process should be considering recent cases in which the National Academies did or did not respond to one of the scenarios outlined above, and reflecting on the past results or potential alternative responses. After implementation, the collection of “after-action” reports should be reviewed and assessed to continually learn from and improve the quick-response capability, and insights from the assessment should be shared across the institution. The National Academies should also reach out to other organizations that have developed similar capabilities for lessons learned in their operation, impact, and evaluation. Individuals as Ambassadors for the National Academies Climate-Related Work The National Academies have an extensive network of experts in their volunteer and NAS, NAE, and NAM membership bases, providing the potential for the National Academies to leverage this network and create a “speakers’ bureau” of experts that could be called on for public-facing events (the notion of “brand ambassadors” for the National Academies has been recommended to the institution). However, the Advisory Committee recommends that this opportunity be approached with caution. The creation of such a network would require the development of key principles, guidance on messaging and attribution, tools and resources, and the training and cultivation of the volunteers and members. In the 22

event that the National Academies create such a network, it could be called on to assist the quick- response team in crafting responses and/or responding directly to requests. Near-Term Recommendations:  Begin the creation of a user-centric climate inventory that is accessible, allows for quick access to information, and enables the institution to better understand, unlock, and fill gaps in its body of work.  Utilize more modern, digital-first approaches whenever possible and make content more adaptable to 21st-century communication by first creating an updated and digital-first climate portal that draws on the user-centric climate inventory.  Develop a quick-response capability, including: o Creating a decision-support tool and guidelines. o Designating and empowering staff to apply the tool. o Establishing a quick-response team. Priority 3: Collaborations with Other Organizations Much of what the National Academies can do in support of the CCI goals would benefit from complementary relationships with other organizations. These collaborations10 have the potential to increase the reach, impact, and relevance of the National Academies’ climate-related work and provide organizations with valuable, authoritative information of interest and relevance to their stakeholders. Other benefits could include expertise and in-kind assistance with the National Academies’ efforts, funding for climate-related or CCI activities, or outreach-related activities. Collaborations also offer potential value to external organizations to support and advance those organizations’ own work and goals because of the National Academies’ authoritative content, non-partisan character, and network of expertise. Understanding audiences and inventory analysis activities should inform whether, why, and how the National Academies proactively develop and accept invitations for collaborations with other organizations and entities. The Advisory Committee also recognizes that the National Academies exist in an ecosystem of organizations communicating about the climate. Sometimes other organizations may be better positioned than the National Academies to directly reach and provide climate information tailored to the specific needs of varied audiences. These organizations may already be a trusted resource and have an established relationship with a particular audience (e.g., professional associations), be focused on the specific needs of potential audiences (e.g., tribal organizations), or have existing resources and mechanisms for sustained engagement and support (e.g., regional climate services providers such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Climate Hubs, or Climate Central and the community of broadcasting 10 We use the term “collaboration” to refer to multiple types of relationships with other organizations, ranging from limited ties between organizations to close and public relationships. As this section describes, the National Academies should be specific and clear in what is intended by the term whenever such a relationship is considered, and most importantly, for the closest relationships. 23

meteorologists). Therefore, there may be instances in which collaborations are preferable to direct engagement. Although collaborations should provide mutual benefit, the National Academies should approach public collaborations carefully and deliberately and only when there are clearly articulated benefits for the National Academies that outweigh any risks posed by the collaboration. Given their reputation and stature, the National Academies may often have more to risk than to gain from collaboration. However, in this section, we outline factors for the National Academies to weigh in a decision-making process to determine whether to pursue potential collaborations and what form they should take. The National Academies should consider collaborating with other organizations toward the following desired long- term outcome:  The National Academies are recognized leaders in a thriving ecosystem of climate communication, incorporating what is learned from these collaborations into new work and new audience engagements. GOALS OF COLLABORATIONS As described in Priority 1, collaborations with other organizations can help the National Academies achieve their goals for communicating and engaging with different audiences for their climate-related content from across the sciences, engineering, and medicine. For example, collaborations can help the National Academies  raise awareness of the National Academies as a valuable resource for climate-related information,  amplify and extend the reach of relevant National Academies climate-related content and activities,  learn about important climate-related information gaps and convening roles it could fill, and  increase the relevance and impact of the National Academies’ climate-related work with specific audiences by working with organizations better suited to meet their needs. TYPES OF COLLABORATIONS TO CONSIDER The National Academies already have relationships with many other organizations through formal activity sponsorship, utilization of their employees as volunteers, and other general outreach and engagement around various activities and events. Many of these relationships are maintained informally and should continue. There are, however, opportunities to greatly increase the impact and relevance of the National Academies’ climate-related work through establishing more formal, public collaborations and partnerships to reach broader audiences. Consideration of each of these types of relationships should be driven by a clear understanding of the relationship’s purpose, potential impact, and risks and benefits, with the closest relationships receiving the greatest level of scrutiny. 24

Examples of Types of Formal Collaborations by the Closeness of the Relationship Between the National Academies and the Collaborator Closeness of the Relationship  Have a public partnership, co-production, or co-branded materials  Distribute joint statements  Co-host or co-sponsor events or ongoing National Academies activity  Endorse the National Academies  Syndicate, broaden, and amplify exposure to National Academies content or social media messages  Assist the National Academies in learning about specific needs of audiences for climate-related information SELECTING COLLABORATORS Generally, collaborations should be designed and executed in ways that reinforce the need for the National Academies to remain non-partisan and non-advocacy oriented. The Advisory Committee believes that the National Academies should continue to exercise caution and avoid being drawn into political or budgetary conversations. To avoid these scenarios, it may be prudent for the National Academies to initiate collaborative relationships. Politics, reputation, history, mission, tax status, funding sources, and principals for any potential (public/formal) collaborator should be reviewed and well understood. It is also important to articulate the value proposition for the potential collaborator in order for any such engagement to be successful. Specific criteria that the National Academies should consider include:  Mission and reputation: The National Academies may consider those with relevant missions and reputations for doing world-class science and engineering (e.g., federal agencies, universities and university labs, or free-choice learning institutions such as museums, science centers, planetariums, zoos, and aquariums). The National Academies should seek information and collect attitudinal data about the public perception of the collaborator to confirm or debunk negative perceptions of potential partners.  Function: The National Academies may also consider those with mission-relevant functions (i.e., those that can provide the benefits listed above)—for example, syndication of the National Academies’ content (e.g., amplification of message, awareness of resources, etc.), or collaboration on particular activities and tasks (e.g., public webinars, dialogues, or training).  Strategic positioning: The National Academies may also consider those with a brand or brand recognition within a desired sector or audience. For example, the National Academies could seek to engage middle and high school teachers to help improve the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education through collaboration with their professional organizations. 25

FRAMEWORK FOR MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT COLLABORATIONS For particularly close or public collaborations, a framework for making decisions on who to collaborate with should be developed. The Advisory Committee suggests that the following questions and criteria be considered in evaluating potential collaborations: 1. Does the collaboration help the National Academies achieve their climate communication goals? 2. Would the collaboration provide greater value to the nation than the National Academies could provide alone? Can the collaboration offer the opportunity to address information gaps or strengthen the science base especially in the context of conflicting studies? Are there gaps where others are not providing information or (maybe more importantly) areas where a lot of differing information or studies on a given topic exist on which the National Academies can provide clarity? 3. Is the mission of the potential collaborator in line with or relevant to the mission of the National Academies? 4. Would working with the collaborator adversely color or frame the public perception of the National Academies’ authority, integrity, excellence (standards), or independence? 5. Does the potential collaborator have relevant experience with a demonstrated track record of high-quality work and successful outputs and outcomes? 6. Does the potential collaborator have the appropriate level of authority and expertise with respect to the topic, task, and service being considered? 7. Is it feasible for the National Academies to work with this collaborator and vice versa? 8. Has there been an expressed need to collaborate by the collaborator? Decisions about establishing collaborations will necessarily be made on an individual basis, but it is recommended that the above criteria be incorporated into a decision-support tool and its use be encouraged and tracked. It may be useful to create a decision tree that includes these questions because some responses might negate the need to pursue the collaboration further. Near-Term Recommendations:  Develop a decision-support tool for assessing potential collaborations.  Identify and pilot near-term collaboration opportunities to meet communication goals identified through Understanding Audiences activities. Priority 4: Sustaining the CCI Institutional efforts and resources are needed to conduct the work necessary to support each of the priorities in this plan. For example, as new insights are obtained through learning about audiences and gaps identified in the National Academies’ body of climate-related work, there need to be mechanisms and processes in place through which to share this new knowledge across the institution so the National Academies can maximize the value and use of their body of climate-related work, work to fill gaps, and 26

improve their ability to meet audience needs. In this way, the National Academies can become a brighter beacon for climate-related information for its current and new potential audiences. Sustaining the CCI long term also requires institutional uptake of these priorities and activities, and depends on these activities providing clear benefits to programs across the institution. The priorities and activities included in this plan are not meant to be one-off events and need to be supported over time to produce lessons and insights in order to provide the most value to the institution. These efforts will require staffing and processes, many of which are indicated in this plan. Long term, it is intended that:  There are internal resources for learning about audience needs for climate information and for assessing gaps in the National Academies’ body of work to meet these needs.  National Academies staff are empowered to make decisions on new CCI activities (including new audiences to engage with, collaborations to establish, and user-centric models of work).  The CCI efforts inform the National Academies’ communications work in other topical areas. COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION Many groups across the institution are innovating, learning from audiences, and experimenting with different ways of measuring the impact and effectiveness of their work. Institutionalization is needed to promote shared learning and best practices, to provide baselines for collaborations and partnerships, and to evaluate progress. These efforts require defined processes and dedicated resources (people, tools, and funding) to be successful and sustained. This coordination and communication require both buy-in from staff at all levels and investment in the outcomes. An internal point person, with ongoing guidance from an internal working group, should spearhead efforts to gather and share what is learned through the CCI activities to establish a baseline and the requirements, as well as to share best practices. In addition, CCI liaisons—individuals with roles on other related National Academies activities—could be appointed to represent and interface regularly with key audiences within and external to the institution, including NAS, NAE, and NAM members. The National Academies should also leverage all opportunities to share the CCI plans and activities across the organization, utilizing the meetings and webinars for standing boards, committees, and programs, as well as the annual meetings for the NAS, NAE, and NAM. These regular interactions could also be used as a mechanism for the CCI to stay abreast of innovative approaches to communication and engagement being used in different parts of the institution. A short video summarizing the initiative could be produced at a relatively low cost and shared across the institution, or virtual Town Hall meetings could be conducted to provide opportunities for discussion. 27

CONDUCTING FUTURE WORK Much of what has been discussed in earlier priority sections has implications for the way that the National Academies carry out their climate-related work—from the early development of a project through to the post-release follow-up with audiences on how the work is being used and shared. The National Academies should have intentional interactions with project sponsors about the audiences and communication expectations prior to launching a study, and insights from Priority 1 should be applied to help define the potential stakeholders and their needs as part of the discussion of the Statement of Task. Focusing these discussions around the needs of audiences may lead to developing Statements of Task with more relevance to those audiences. It may be beneficial to consider seeking additional funding as needed from other sponsors to support this expanded scope of work. Additionally, efforts to engage with audiences throughout the course of a study or an activity would not only have the potential to increase the relevance and accessibility of the individual work, but could also contribute to understanding audiences more broadly. After reports or products are delivered to sponsors, follow-up and analysis of how the product is used should also be conducted and incorporated into the National Academies’ impact tracking. Near-Term Recommendations:  Establish a role for a CCI core staff and internal advisory group.  Develop an institutional communication and coordination mechanism about the CCI.  Develop clear guidance for the responsibilities and expectations on how to engage existing program units, volunteers, and staff.  Designate resources to support tasks requested of program units to feed the learning cycle and other CCI umbrella activities.  Develop a long-term funding strategy for CCI activities that incorporates third parties.  Establish a mechanism for regularly incorporating insights from the science of science communication to inform approaches. Institutional Learning and Evaluation The CCI provides an opportunity for broad institutional learning. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, the CCI should be pursued as an experiment, offering an opportunity to test and learn from the results of new approaches. The plan’s priorities and activities should be evaluated and revisited. Additionally, the National Academies should develop impact metrics for the CCI, to be revisited annually (as outlined below), and should establish a longer-term framework for considering new activities, which should, for example:  Articulate how the proposed activity aligns with the CCI goals and priorities.  Include specific evaluation metrics and mechanisms for shared learning. 28

This strategy outlines both near-term activities and priorities to lay the groundwork for future plans. In order to determine whether this strategy is successful, the National Academies should evaluate the CCI regularly. Every 2 years, the National Academies should revisit this strategic plan to  Evaluate the impact of the CCI based on established metrics,  Assess progress on priority activities, and  Propose additional activities and/or new priorities. Two-year assessments should be provided to the National Academies Governing Board. These reports should be prepared in collaboration with the CCI Advisory Committee and internal staff team (existing, new, or subgroups thereof). Near-Term Recommendations:  Develop impact metrics.  Develop a framework for considering new activities.  Develop a 2-year assessment framework, including engagement plans for the next 24 months, with a 12-month assessment. 29

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