The impact of knowledge and deliberative processes on local spending preferences for climate action

This paper presents the results of a trial in Indonesia that evaluated how local climate information and different facilitation strategies for group decision-making on local development spending impacted preferences for climate adaptation and mitigation. This research was conducted due to the importance of how climate change adaptation and mitigation often depend on support from local communities. More clarity is needed on the most effective strategies to inform the community and therefore activate support for climate action. Thus, this paper conducted a randomised control trial in Indonesia, giving participants different resources and experiences (e.g. educational videos, group discussions), before recording their opinions and preferences on climate action.

The findings show that participants who engaged in deliberation about the allocation of local funding demonstrated significantly greater support for climate adaptation and mitigation actions compared to all the other groups. Further, they showed a statistically significant increase in their preferences for climate action after the intervention. From this research, the findings demonstrate the importance of sharing accessible information and using deliberative approaches to foster local support for climate action.