Klimagune Conferences & Workshops

The concept of Klimagune Workshop 2017 is to act as an innovative scientific meeting forum for different profiles related to climate change, including scientists, managers at different scales, private companies, communication professionals, non-governmental organisations for the environment, society and development, and citizens in general. The intent of the forum is to undertake a constructive dialogue to support integration of scientific knowledge, management and social participation in fighting climate change, overcoming disciplinary barriers and building a common vision. This is a trans-disciplinary initiative, because it aims to co-generate knew knowledge on climate change and transfer it to multiple different audiences, empowering them. Therefore, the meeting stimulates dialogue between sectors/fields related to climate change, and drives the creation of synergies and possible collaboration frameworks between research groups, bodies and institutions and civil society, necessary to address this complex, pressing issue.

Since its first edition in 2010, over 500 people have participated in this event. To date the Klimagune Workshop has launched different crosscutting themes, including, adaptation strategies in the Basque Country, the Green economy and transitions towards sustainability and the opportunities and challenges for rural areas in the context of climate change or Communicating climate science.

The seventh edition of the Klimagune will focus on "Climate change and public engagement" and will take place on the 31st of May, at the Bizkaia Aretoa in Bilbao.

The event will consist of various activities. There will be a plenary session where 2 Keynote speakers, of considerable international renown, will reflect about the main topic. Following, two different round-table discussion are organized followed by 2 participatory working sessions that pursue stimulating dialogue between sectors/fields related to climate change and the creation of synergies and possible collaboration frameworks.
Climate Change and participation

Climate change and participation

The 21st Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris, and the agreement reached (Paris Agreement) prove that we are in a new stage of the fight against climate change. A stage where, once the scientific evidence on climate change is globally accepted, it is urgent and mandatory that institutions, production structures and all private and public social players play an active, coordinated role. However, social activation and scientific knowledge must go hand-in-hand. This requires new scientific tools to find environmentally sustainable solutions that are economically efficient and socially just. This is attained through the participation, not only of different institutions, but of all citizens in general.

Given that reporting, taking part or being a part is not the same thing, at Klimagune, we analyse the different methods and degrees of social participation for climate change. What perceptions do citizens have of climate change? What participation methods are there, and what purpose do they serve? What does science, and citizen science have to say about participating in climate change? To which extent can we be involved as citizens in this challenge, for which we are both responsible and victims at the same time?

Participation in sustainability issues is based on regulations and instruments to: (1) democratise decision-making, (2) empower participants and avoid conflicts, (3) integrate different kinds of knowledge, and (4) increase the effectiveness and fairness of the effects of both public and private projects and programmes. In a post-modern society undergoing constant change, participating against climate challenges is not an option; rather it is a citizen responsibility, related to the concepts of social perception, legitimacy, climate justice, corporate social responsibility, citizen science and trans-disciplinary science.

Ignacio Palomo
Postdoctoral Researcher at Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) Coordinator of Klimagune 2017