Sustained Public Investment in Knowledge, Networks and Capacity for Climate Preparedness and Decision-Making

Today, demand for information but, more notably, for participation with respect to climate adaptation and resilience planning has exploded.  Government involvement, from housing to transportation, to land management, requires planning for climate change. The NOAA Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) portfolio emerged more than twenty years ago with the goal of testing and advancing the societal value of climate information. It has aimed to foster purposeful collaboration among scientists and practitioners to develop the knowledge, tools, and institutional relationships necessary to arrive at useable climate information for risk management and sustainable development. This presentation will delve into what, now, are the most critical characteristics of this public investment, who are the principal constituencies (partners and beneficiaries), and how it can best evolve to function at the scale and breadth necessary for adaptation and resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate. The world is more energized to take on the challenge of a changing climate but still in substantial need of knowledge and pathways to change that cross multiple scales of governance, sectors and geographies. The demand is not only for information aligned with practical needs, but for the human relationships and networks that facilitate planning and preparing for behavioral and institutional change. Examples and case studies drawn from this innovative research and engagement portfolio, including regional, sectoral and international geographies, will inform the discussion of evolving public investments in climate and societal applications.