The Impact of Knowledge and Deliberative Processes on Local Spending Preferences for Climate Action

The success of climate adaptation and mitigation often depends on support from local communities. Yet, it remains unclear what strategies are most effective to inform and activate support for climate action. This paper presents the results of a randomized controlled trial in Indonesia that evaluated how local climate information and different facilitation strategies for group decision-making on local development spending impacted preferences for climate adaptation and mitigation. In the first treatment, participants watched an educational video on climate change and a presentation on local climate vulnerabilities; in the second, they discussed and voted on spending priorities for local development funds after receiving the same educational materials; and in the third, they deliberated over group spending priorities after receiving the educational materials, discussing, and voting. The findings show that participants who engaged in deliberation about the allocation of local funding demonstrated significantly greater support for climate adaptation and mitigation actions as compared to all other groups. Further, they showed a statistically significant increase in their preferences for climate action after the intervention. The findings demonstrate the importance of sharing accessible information and using deliberative approaches to foster local support for climate action.