Diapositiva 1

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ITALIAN GOOD PRACTICES ON COMMUNICATING
CLIMATE CHANGE
Mr. Gaetano Battistella Information,
Documentation and Librarian Activities
Dept. Institute for Environmental Protection and
Research Italy
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• Index
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Good Practices for Communicating Climate
  Change
• 3. The Italian Good Practices for Communicating
  Climate Change
• 4. ISPRA Good Practices for Communicating Climate
  Change
• 5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
  2007
• 6. Junior Conference on Climate Change - Game
  simulation Tell it to the dinosaurs
• 7. Conclusions
• 8. References

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1. Introduction
Sharing lessons learned and best practices in
thematic regional workshops is a unique
opportunity to review work programmes and to
evaluate their effectiveness, identifying
emerging gaps and opportunities among
Countries. In the field of communicating climate
change this is also an added value to initiatives
and events promoted in order to match this
complex problem, also trying to find successful
solutions through possible cooperation and
convergent actions for climate change phenomena
mitigation and adaptation. United Nations
strategies for these purposes could also achieve
positive effects through exchanging of
information on environmental initiatives based on
education, training and public awareness raising,
performing a preliminary state of the art of
related events and activities.
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1. Introduction
In this frame, the Group of Experts ex Article 6
UNFCCC started an intermediate review of good
practices on communicating climate change in
different Countries, also with the contribution
of the Network Green Spider of the European
Union Commission DG Environment. This survey has
been hold also in Italy, where many practices
have been collected in different fields at
national, regional and local level (local agenda
21 database) and selected mainly in their
different areas of intervention, as best
practices for sustainability (GELSO database),
environmental communication and information
campaigns, education towards sustainability. Proje
cts and initiatives have been selected following
the methodology of using the best databases
information on events financed by European,
national and regional funds, winners of specific
competitions, mentions on institutional web sites
as relevant practices.
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2. Good Practices for Communicating Climate Change

• To define a good practice of environmental
  communication on climate change as such,
  initiatives have been selected following 2 basic
  criteria of selection based on the following 2
  requirements
• Eligibility criteria, that means an initiative
  recognised and identified as a practice to be
  selected as representative of initiatives of
  communicating climate change as already set up,
  easily used by others and corresponding to
  quality objectives and targets adopted at
  national and international level
• Qualification criteria, that means a good
  practice recognised and qualified in terms of
  good contents, results and effects, implemented
  with partnerships participation and cooperation
  and through sustainable structures operating at
  local level.

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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
Many of the selected good practices are available
for consultation in the ISPRA database Sinanet at
the URL www.sinanet.apat.it/it/gelso/bancaDati/ban
caDati/ricerca/index.html using the Italian key
word riduzione delle emissioni di gas serra
(more than 79 good practices), with some web
pages to explain a general framework of the
issues with references to documentation of
possible further interest. The complete GELSO
database containing the best practices on
sustainability is available at the URL
www.sinanet.apat.it/it/gelso All these collected
good practices that are the results of the
survey are included in a list available to the
Group in order to give an Italian contribution to
this European Regional Workshop on Article 6 of
the UNFCCC (Education, Training and Public
Awareness) and further to support contents for a
dedicated booklet to be issued for the
forthcoming Conference of Copenaghen at the end
of the year 2009.
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change

• These intermediate surveys results of good
  practices for communicating climate change are
  possible good examples that could be included
  also in the Italian National Communication under
  the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• All the 24 selected good practices are described
  in formats with their details, collected and
  classified in 8 areas of intervention
• Applied social research Research made to know
  people ideas, attitudes, knowledge and behaviours
  on climate change and energy issues, public
  opinion surveys, qualitative research (No good
  practices).
• 2. Access to information Innovative and
  practical initiatives to improve citizen
  information on climate change issues
  newsletters, electronic information systems (5
  good practices)
• 3. Education Initiatives to promote and enhance
  the inclusion of climate change in school
  curicula at all levelsinnovative methods for
  teaching and learning on climate change issues (4
  good practices)

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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
4. Training Initiatives on capacity building for
workers and professionals to improve mitigation
of and adaptation to climate change in business ,
industry and public administration (4 good
practices) 5. Public awareness Initiatives to
raise awareness and public understanding on
climate change issues. 6 good practices 6. Public
participation Instruments and experiences on
promoting and facilitating public participation
on climate change policies and measures (2 good
practices) 7. International cooperation Best
initiatives on international cooperation in the
implementation of Art 6 of the UNFCCC (2 good
practices) 8. Networking Networks on
communication, education and public participation
on climate change issues. Networks facilitating
the dissemantion of bet experiences and the
development of joint efforts on these fields (1
good practice)
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
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3. Italian Good Practices for Communicating
Climate Change
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4. ISPRA Good Practices for Communicating Climate
Change

• ISPRA, the Italian Institute for Environmental
  Research and Protection, is responsible of 3 good
  practices and namely
• Italian National Conference on Climate Change
  2007
• Junior Conference on Climate Change - Game
  simulation Tell it to the dinosaurs
• 3. RENAEL Communication Campaign on Renewable
  Sources of Energies and Energy Efficiency
• The former 2 events are already performed and can
  be described in details, while the latter
  includes activities still running.

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5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
2007
Responsible for Environmental Communication
Mrs. R. Montesanti - Mrs. S. Lombardo (in
cooperation with the Italian Ministry for
Environment, Land and Sea)   Objectives Raising
awareness on climate change in society analyzing
issues concerning vulnerability and alterations
caused by climate change in Italy and potential
adaptation options, suggesting effective actions
based on scientific results, identifying new
roles for institutions, local organizations,
enterprises and civil society.   Target groups
Citizen, national, regional and local
institutions, business sector and civil
society   Budget 1.500.000.00   Media/channel
National and local press, national and local
broadcasting stations, specialised
magazines   Number of people reached 3.000
persons at the conference, plus 2.000 persons at
the workshops   Length of the activity 8 months
  Representativeness (is it special for your
area?) Yes. Participation of Head of State, Head
of Government, Ministries, Under Secretaries of
State, International Representatives (UNEP, HDR,
OCSE, UNFCCC, etc.)   Theme Adaptation to
Climate Change   Can it easily be used by
others? Yes   Did you cooperate with someone
NGO, other agency? FAO and the Italian
Environmental Agencies System
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5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
2007
This Conference has been organised in Rome on
September 2007.
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5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
2007
The conference has been preceded by a series of
preparatory workshops aimed to raise awareness on
selected themes among general public, local and
national institutions as well as scientists,
researchers and journalists. These workshops
were held in several Italian localities and the
workshops were chosen according to the risks to
which these localities are mostly exposed, as for
example desertification, glaciations,
hydrological damage, impacts on the marine
coastal environment, impacts on health, CO2
emissions, Po River basin impacts. Overall aim
of the National Conference was to find solutions
and take action, following the conference slogan
Its the moment to take action focusing mainly
on environmental science, in term of the main
themes discussed (desertification, glaciers and
areas prone to de-glaciation, marine and coastal
environments, hydro-geological disruption, the
Venice lagoon and the northern Adriatic Sea).
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5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
2007
The Conference discussed mitigation and
adaptation strategies.
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5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
2007
The Conference mostly examined issues concerning
vulnerability alterations caused by climate
change in Italy and potential adaptation options
(i.e. passive defense, active defense, insurance
defense and abandonment), while suggesting
effective actions based on recommendations
stemming from pre-conference workshops and
meetings. Environmental themes were analyzed
both from a scientific and socio-economic point
of view and concerned the following issues 1.
the greatest risks for the Italian territory
(desertification, glaciers and areas prone to
de-glaciation, marine and coastal environments,
hydro-geological disruption, the Venice lagoon
and the northern Adriatic Sea) 2. current health
risks linked to climate change 3. current state
and trends in greenhouse gas concentrations in
Italy. The Conference also highlighted the
opportunities that may arise from climate change
and the new role that institutions, local
organizations, businesses and civil society can
play, with the objectives to raise awareness on
climate change and push society to act.
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5. Italian National Conference on Climate Change
2007
At the conference participated the Italian Head
of State, the Italian Head of Government, Italian
Ministries and Under Secretaries, as well as
International Representatives (UNEP, HDR, OCSE,
UNFCCC, etc.). The number of people reached was
about 3.000 persons at the conference, plus 2.000
persons at the workshops and many media/channels
have been involved, as national and local press,
national and local broadcasting stations and
specialised magazines. The preparatory and
organizing work was developed in about 8 months
in cooperation with Experts from FAO and the
Italian Environmental Agencies System
(ARPA/APPA). A dedicated web site was also
activated to reference participants and general
public on the event, as well as a brochure.
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6. Junior Conference on Climate Change
Responsible for Environmental Education Mr. A.
Pirozzi - Mrs. S. Calicchia   Objectives
(Educational) To explain concepts of climate
change, global warming, mitigation and adaptation
strategies and governance, analysing human
activities and elements affecting climate
change Target groups Students of the Secondary
Schools (14 18 years old)   Budget ISPRA
internal personnel   Media/channel Website at
URL http//www.conferenzacambiamenticlimatici2007.
it/site/it-IT/Sezioni/CNJunior/La_Conferenza_Junio
r/ http//www.formeducambiente.apat.it/site/it-IT/
Educazione_ambientale/Conferenza_Junior/   Number
of people reached 200 and more persons   Length
of the activity 6 months (planning realization
of the activity)   Representativeness (is it
special for your area?) Yes   Theme Education
on Climate Change   Can it easily be used by
others? Yes. ISPRA is preparing a multimedia kit
for schools (handbook, playing cards, maps,
dossier, etc.).   Did you cooperate with someone
NGO, other agency? The University Youth
Centre (CTS) Environmental Education Office
University of Sassari (Prof. Paola Rizzi)
Environmental Protection Agency of Tuscany,
Italian Geographical Society and the Italian
Association of Geography Teachers
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6. Junior Conference on Climate Change
This Conference has been organised in Rome on
September 2007.
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6. Junior Conference on Climate Change
In this event, about 200 persons, including
students of secondary schools (14-18 years old),
approached climate change problems in a global
overview of concerned phenomena by means of a
simulation game on Italian territory, trying to
identify specific aspects and possible mitigation
and adaptation countermeasures to be adopted to
match them. 20 priorities identified in a
Charta as possible positive actions to react to
the running situation on Italian territory as
adoption of renewable energy plants, wastewater
recovery system, territorial research and
technology incentives, low energy consumption
buildings, land management control, renewable
energy use incentives, energy and water savings,
water sustainable use in agriculture and
industry, energy education, waste management,
land planning, energy saving information
campaigns, research and training promotion,
renewable energy development, sustainable
mobility, local emissions tax, new economic
model, eco-sustainable tourism, local products
and services promotion.
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6. Junior Conference on Climate Change
Game simulation is a methodology that is mainly
used in urban planning and recently has been used
also in Environmental Education, with the
objective to design a "virtual" contest, whose
characteristics reflect dynamics and components
of reality. This innovative methodology adopted
in this good practice aims at stimulating
active participation and involvement of citizens
(young or adults) in local territorial planning
through a problem-solving approach, following 2
strategies 1. to facilitate a multi-subject
knowledge on environmental topics 2. to promote
an educational approach on individuals that are
learning so to develop in them critical and
personal thinking. In this frame, the main
educational objectives are a) to explain
concepts of climate change, global warming,
mitigation and adaptation strategies and
governance b) to recognise human activities
affecting the climate c) to analyse elements
determining climate change and its spatial and
temporal scale.
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6. Junior Conference on Climate Change
This work was prepared by ISPRA in about 6 months
in cooperation with CTS Environment
Environmental Education Office University of
Sassari (Prof. Paola Rizzi) ARPA Toscana
(Environmental Protection Agency of Tuscany) SGI
(Italian Geographical Society) and AIIG (Italian
Association of Geography Teachers). ISPRA is
going to realize a multimedia kit (Components
handbook, playing cards, maps, dossier, etc.) to
spread this game simulation among schools.
Websites http//www.conferenzacambiamenticlimati
ci2007.it/site/it-IT/Sezioni/CNJunior/La_Conferenz
a_Junior/ http//www.formeducambiente.apat.it/sit
e/it-IT/Educazione_ambientale/Conferenza_Junior/
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7. Conclusions
Following these good practices, some studies are
now performed in ISPRA to develop new
methodologies and innovative approaches for a
better environmental communication in terms of
both information diffusion and knowledge
transfer, also for climate change, by means of
new technologies use, new channels research and
deployment, new manuals and procedures
adoption. The exchange of good practices in
communicating climate change as in this UNFCCC
workshop is an important point to start further
exchange of experiences at Regional level and to
compare own initiatives with other events
performed in different situations, trying to make
comparisons on effects and results for future
efforts towards citizens education, training and
public awareness to enhance public participation
on climate change.
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8. References
Italian Members of Green Spider Network Mr.
Gaetano Battistella ISPRA - Department for
Information, Documentation and Librarian
Activities Via Curtatone, 3 - 00185 Rome
(Italy) gaetano.battistella_at_isprambiente.it Ms.
Stefania Fusani ISPRA - International Relations
Service Via Curtatone, 3 00185 Rome (Italy)
stefania.fusani_at_isprambiente.it Contribution
from Ms. Emi Morroni, Ms. Renata Montesanti, Ms.
Claudia Delfini, Ms. Patrizia Franchini, Ms.
Ilaria Leoni, Mr. Adolfo Pirozzi, Ms. Stefania
Calicchia, Ms. Patrizia Polidori Institute for
Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)
Italy www.apat.gov.it Comunicazione_at_isprambiente.
it
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