Bridging the Gap: Experiences of communicating climate information between producers and end-users in southern Africa

Abstract

Climate change information is difficult to communicate beyond the scientific community, due to its inherent uncertainty and complexity, yet at the same time end users need access to the information in a format that is appropriate to their decision-making context, in order to bring about sustainable responses. This requires a concerted two-way communication process between information producers and information users, and is often best facilitated by a “boundary organisation”. This paper outlines the experience of a USAID-funded project that aims to “bridge the gap” between science producers and humanitarian organisations in southern Africa in order to improve the use of climate information in emergency preparedness, response and development activities.