Climate Change Communication Campaign. 3. To encourage the general public to take actions to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change.

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1 Target Audience: General Public Theme of campaign: #Change Objectives of the Campaign: Climate Change Communication Campaign 1. To increase knowledge among the general public of the link between the changes they are experiencing in their communities and climate change 2. To increase awareness of some practices that the general public can adopt at the household and community level to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. 3. To encourage the general public to take actions to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. Main Findings of the Knowledge Attitudes and Practice Survey The KAP study showed that individuals and communities lacked comprehensive understanding of all the major changes associated with climate change. Although they are seeing and feeling some of the impacts of climate change, they do not associate all these changes with climate change. There is a need to ensure that persons understand that climate change is here, that they already seeing and feeling some of the major impacts associated with climate change and that there are things they can do to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. In most cases the majority of respondents are able to associate the more prominent changes they are seeing in their communities to climate change % of respondents associate changing weather patterns with climate change. 89% of respondents associate stronger and more frequent hurricanes with climate change, 87.4% associate increase in air temperatures with climate change and 85.5% associate flooding with climate change. These are also the top 4 issues that have been impacting their communities over the past ten years. There are six other changes that a significant number of respondents either do not associate with climate change or do not know are associated with climate change. 27.3% of respondents do not associate increase in sea surface temperature and coral bleaching with climate change. 21.8% do not associate sea level rise with climate change. 36% do not associate erosion along the coast with climate change while 36.5% do not associate landslides with climate change, 34.5% do not associate decrease in fish stock with climate change and 38.3% do not associate melting of the ice caps at the poles with climate change. This indicates that respondents understand some of the impacts of climate change but do not have a comprehensive 1 P a g e

2 understanding of all the major changes associated with climate change that are affecting or can affect their communities. Knowledge Attitudes and Practice Survey on Climate Change, 2016 Despite the fact that individual and communities were able to identify some actions taken, a significant percentage of respondents in the AKP indicated that they have not taken action because they do not have enough information and are not aware of what actions to take. It is therefore important to increase individual and community level awareness of actions that can be taken. Question 29 asked what actions have been taken or can be taken by the community to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. The action that has been least taken or which the community appears least favourable to take are observing building codes (1.4%), building sea walls (19.5%), and carpooling (22.9%). The actions that have been taken or are that communities are willing to take include raise awareness (58.9%), proper waste disposal/composting (51.2%), reforestation (44.9%), and not cutting down trees (44.2%). The main reasons why communities have not taken action are that they do not have enough information and are not aware of what actions to take. 46.0% of respondents indicated that they do not have enough information while 40.4% indicated that they do not know what actions they should take to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. Knowledge Attitudes and Practice Survey on Climate Change, 2016 Central Message of the Campaign: The KAP showed that persons were already experiencing many environmental changes in their communities. They expressed concerns about these changes, particularly those that affected their livelihoods and way of life. However, persons were not making a direct connection between the changes they were experiencing and climate change. The campaign is a first step in creating awareness about climate change and helping communities to make the connection between these changes they are seeing and feeling and climate change. 2 P a g e

3 The KAP also noted that climate change was not a term commonly used by persons. The campaign aims to make climate change a common term in households by prompting them to attribute the changes to climate change. Finally, the KAP noted that persons were not aware of actions they could take to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. The campaign aims to introduce persons to actions they can take and encourage them to make the changes necessary to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change. The main message will be: Are you seeing the change? Are you feeling the change? Climate Change. Change! The central message will be broken down into 3 simple messages using hashtags and powerful graphics focusing on what persons have expressed that they are seeing in their communities ( #RUseeingthechange?) and the changes they are experiencing in their communities (#RUfeelingthechange?). The campaign will draw their attention to these changes and link them to climate change. These changes include: a. Changes they are seeing: Flooding, changing weather patterns, erosions along the coast, landslides, increase in vector borne illnesses, sea level rise, coral bleaching, decrease in fish stock and changes in seasonality of crops. b. Changes they are feeling: Stronger and more frequent storms, increase in air temperature, increase in sea surface temperature. The third message will focus on change; demonstrating to persons some practical ways that they can change some current household and community practices and encouraging them to change (#CHANGE). These include: save energy, dispose of waste properly, do not clear mangroves and trees along the waterfront, planting trees, purchasing fuel efficient vehicles, observe building codes, water harvesting This final message will bring it all together using the original larger message: #R U seeing the change? #R U feeling the change? 3 P a g e

4 #ClimateChange. #Change! The campaign will use limited words and powerful graphics to communicate the messages to the general public. Materials: The materials that will be developed for the campaign include: 1. Facebook Banner Facebook Banner will be posted on the National Climate Change Office Facebook page and the Facebook page of key stakeholders. Post will be boosted through paid ads to Facebook. The banner will be divided into 5 panels and will depict all three messages as follows: Text 1: Are you seeing the change? Images: labelled pictures of some of the changes they are seeing (Dependent on the graphic designer these can also be drawings, sketches, cartoons, animations etc. but must be powerful enough to draw the audience s attention) Text 2: Are you feeling the change? Images: Labelled pictures of some of the changes they are seeing (Dependent on the creativity of the graphic designer these can also be drawings, sketches, cartoons, animations etc. but must be powerful enough to draw the audience s attention ) Text 3: Climate Change. The text climate change will stand on its own and will be bold and visible Text 4: Change! Images: Labelled pictures of practical changes that individuals and households can make to prevent or lessen the impact of climate change Text 5: #RUseeingthechange? #RUfeelingthechange? #ClimateChange. #Change! In an effort to encourage community participation and to monitor community members response to the campaign, persons will be asked to post comments and photos on the NCCO s facebook page with the 4 P a g e

5 hashtag # IFEELTHECHANGE or #ISEETHECHANGE. They will be encouraged to post pictures from their communities or make comments on what they are seeing in their communities seconds Television Ad The ad will be aired on the 2 major television stations during prime time and has the potential to reach at least half of Belize s population. The ad will be a 60 second animation with attractive background music and no voices. It will depict, through animation, some of the main changes identified above that persons are seeing and feeling. It will depict some of the major changes that households and communities can make to lessen or prevent the impact of climate change. 3. Community Story Board: Large (wall size) custom made restickable signs will be developed, depicting the messages and images from the Facebook banner. 12 sets will be developed (2 sets to be placed in public spaces in each of the district towns). However this will be very large in order for it to be visible and to cover a public space where many people converge in each of the major municipalities. If resources allow, signs can also be produced for placement in target communities across the country. 4. Reusable shopping bags The shopping bags will bear the main message and logos of the project. #RUseeingthechange? #RUfeelingthechange? #ClimateChange. #Change! Interpersonal Communication: In partnership with the Fisheries Department, through the MCAPP Project, selected fishing communities (10-12 communities) will be targeted for scale up of campaign. The Community Story Board will be replicated and utilized in public spaces in these communities. The messages will remain the same, however, the changes specific to fishers and fishing communities such as increase in sea surface temperature, coral bleaching and decrease in fish stock will be emphasized. 5 P a g e

6 Community presentations will be hosted in each of the target communities using the materials developed as the entry point for presentations and engagement of fishing communities. Additionally, educational sessions will be conducted in schools in each of the target communities. 6 P a g e