Citizen engagement under climate change-local communication practice toward resilience

Abstract

It is noted that climate change remains an extreme and urgent matter that affects the present and future generations. Thus, an effective engagement in flood risk communication raises the awareness of flood-prone area residents, stimulates preparedness for climate change in ensuring resilience. Risk communication, as an integral part of the resilience practice, carry out a crucial role in enhancing the community's response to climate change. In this study, the local engagement practice in flood risk communication in a community in Taipei, Taiwan is examined.We explored the issue through semi-structured interview of residents, focusing on their communication and resilience thinking under climate change. This study ascertained that (1) the community determines how risk information is understood and propagated in a loosely formed network supported by social media; (2) understanding local socio-environmental context is crucial in supporting mutual communication and ensure public engagement among the residents; (3) urban resilience necessitates multiple actors aim to collaborate, mitigate, and achieve communication innovations; the interactive visual tools can assist an effective communication toward effective adaptive capacity. Ultimately, further research issues are identified as the key role of the media and communications in addressing climate change and communication.