About Us

Project Summary:


Alberta Climate Dialogue (ABCD) believes that well-designed citizen deliberations can shift the politics of climate change in Alberta, across Canada, and internationally. Our research  and action in this university-community partnership will allow us to test theories, understand how to design citizen deliberation for maximum effect, and create tools to allow others to take these steps with us.  


Thousands of Albertans will take part in innovatively-structured public deliberations that  build understanding about the scientific, economic, social, and individual aspects of climate change. Citizens will pool their diverse perspectives, weigh trade-offs and identify opportunities, decide on actions to take within communities, and make recommendations to municipal and provincial governments on climate change policy.


ABCD's goal is to make a positive difference in how Albertans understand and respond to climate change, and to transform how Alberta municipalities and the provincial government engage citizens to solve tough environmental issues.


ABCD Strategic Program Areas:


  1. 1.Support more effective citizen engagement practices in Alberta. ABCD draws on international experience and best practice to develop approaches to climate change engagement in Alberta that are inclusive, informed, balanced, and linked to policy processes.


  1. 2.Explore the role of citizen engagement for better climate responses. ABCD brings deep research expertise to understanding how and why different forms of citizen engagement contribute to climate change solutions, and will use ABCD deliberations to advance knowledge and practice.


  1. 3.Build capacity for citizen engagement on climate issues in Alberta (and beyond). ABCD plans to leave a lasting legacy of its work, through partnerships that build skills and knowledge, the development of a community of practice for engagement that reaches across sectors, establishing an institutional home for engagement research and practice expertise in Alberta, and wide dissemination of our findings.


Funding:


ABCD’s work is funded by over $3.3 million in cash and in-kind contributions from universities and community organizations in Alberta and beyond. This includes a $1 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Community-University Research Alliance program (SSHRC-CURA). Deliberative events will be co-funded with government, civil society partners, and further grants.


Research and Impacts:


ABCD will use comparative case studies to understand which kinds of information, facilitation methods, process designs, and contextual adaptations lead to real change. Connecting deliberations to policy processes will ensure that citizens’ involvement on climate issues is truly influential.