Effective climate policy, whether targeted toward adaptation or mitigation, requires rigorous science, transparency in decision-making, and leadership from the communities the policy will impact. We are at a critical moment in climate planning with the opportunity to leverage scientific rigor to ensure that transparency and accountability underpin all climate action. Open science is required at every step of the way, whether catalyzing the discovery of solutions, developing more accessible tools (e.g. the community-supported open-source software ecosystem that facilitate more rapid advancements in science), or effectively engaging with decision-makers (e.g. communication of information that is transparent and traceable). This special session will bring together researchers and leaders in open science with the practitioners relying on public data and transparency to make critical decisions about investments in equitable climate solutions. We will solicit two kinds of contributions: (1) research exemplifying how open science can inform climate action and (2) examples of open science tools and resources. We will then curate a moderated panel discussion of experts on policy, media, and stakeholder-engagement to discuss how climate science becomes policy. Each presenter will emphasize how their work contributes to equitable climate action.

Proposed special session agenda

Session Introduction - Welcome, overview of agenda, and community guidelines for engagement and discussion (10 min).

Session 1 - Open science to inform climate action (80 minutes)

This session will include eight 10 minute research talks about science that has been used or is intended to be used to inform climate policy. We welcome talks informing both adaptation and mitigation efforts. Potential topics:

• Impacts assessments to inform adaptation planning decisions
• Climate change attribution studies to motivate mitigation efforts
• Validation and verification of climate mitigation efforts
• Development and deployment of climate solutions
• Equitable deployment of climate interventions

Break - 15min

Session 2 - Tools for open climate science (1 hour)

In this session we will have a series of 10 eLightning talks to present datasets, tools, and software which have either supported or been benefited by an open science platform. Presenters will showcase what their tool does, who has used it, and its role in contributing to open climate science. We will reserve 15 minutes for questions from the audience at the end. Presenters will be allotted two slides. We will strongly encourage presenters to devote their second slide to a website link or QR code that will direct the audience to their tool.

Break - 15min

Session 3 - Engagement to support science-informed policy (1hr)

This session will be a panel of 3-5 policy, media, stakeholder engagement experts. They will tell 5 minute stories on their experience with using open science to help inform equitable climate action. We will moderate a 30-minute discussion with prepared questions then allow 15 minutes for audience questions.

Optional

Lunch or happy hour discussion among special session participants. Session conveners will facilitate a networking activity at the event.