CCEP-I: Climate Science Meets Social Psychology and Strategic Communications: Applying proven learning and communications strategies to climate literacy in the San Diego Region.

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An award has been made to the University of San Diego to establish a Phase I Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) in collaboration with California State University San Marcos, The San Diego Foundation, the Steve Alexander Group, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The overall goal of the CCEP Phase I project is to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. This project will focus on involving ?Key Influentials? (thought and opinion leaders, trend-setters) to increase awareness of climate science, mitigation, and adaptation issues among the non K-16 population in the San Diego region. The project targets a diverse audience, including local elected officials representing 18 cities and the County of San Diego, the Hispanic/Latino community, the real estate development community, faith-based communities, and tribal communities. The specific goals include: (1) creating an innovative team that combines climate scientists, education psychologists, formal and informal educators, private-sector communication professionals, and policy experts to develop and implement a strategic educational framework; (2) using an action research framework to assess current public opinion and understanding about climate change through surveys, a series of innovative workshops, and knowledge gathering sessions; and (3) developing compelling messages and methods to educate target audiences about climate change science that could impact short- and long-term behavior, without prescribing what that behavior should be. By the end of this project, the PIs expect to: (1) develop a comprehensive strategic communications and education plan to increase climate science, mitigation behaviors, and adaptation awareness in the San Diego region, with particular emphasis on the audiences outside the formal K-16 environment; (2) develop strategies and communication methods based on the latest research from educational psychology and other learning sciences to educate groups within the general public about climate science; (3) develop a web-based portal of climate related information, sources, and activities available in the region; (4) gather detailed public opinion data on regional awareness and attitudes of climate related issues; (5) develop a range of communication methods and messages to improve quality of education practices; and, (6) using an action research framework, establish of a diverse group of 30-50 ?Key Influentials? and a regional advisory board to work with the project team. More information on this project is available by visiting http://www.sandiego.edu/ccep or contacting the PI, Dr. Michel A. Boudrias at boum@sandiego.edu