Connecting the Dots: An Initiative on Communicating Complex Climate Science to Local Communities through Climate Change Services

English Abstract:

Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change addresses the importance of climate change communication and engaging stakeholders in this issue. It highlights the responsibility of participating countries at the national, sub-regional and regional levels, to ensure public access to information and to promote public participation. In this context, this article addresses an initiative taken by the Government of Tamil Nadu, India at the local level to address the global challenge in a case study approach. However, the main objective of this article is to showcase a method/approach to connect the dots (science and communities) and build capacity to climate change by communicating complex climate change science and its information at local level through climate change services. Realizing this urgent importance, Tamil Nadu State Climate Change Cell (TNSCCC) at the Department of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu, India has initiated Tamil Nadu State Climate Change Services (TNSCCS) based on the guidelines of the Global Framework for Climate Services of World Meteorological Organization. This has been created as envisaged in Tamil Nadu’s State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) in par with India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). TNSCCS acts as a central hub of information, data and reports about climate change of entire Tamil Nadu State. It is considered as one of the major principal mechanisms through which information about the climate of the past, present and future is routinely archived, analyzed, modeled and exchanged. Importantly, it provides a “web-based platform” and “user friendly interface” to disseminate and exchange climate change information for various communities like farmers, fishermen and others. It is hoped that the information gleaned from the above mentioned method/approach of climate change services witness how best the complex climate change science can be tailored and communicated to local communities.