Abstract

The present report describes a frame-based approach to communication and decision-making on climate change, which has been developed in IC10, one of the “integration projects” in the Climate changes Spatial Planning programme. Building on the multidisciplinary literature on the relationship between frames and decisionmaking, it argues that decision makers may gain from making frames more explicit and using them for generating different visions about the central issues. Frames are organizing principles that enable a person to interpret a situation and to communicate about it, without having to consider all the details. They can be used in very different ways:

• Frames can be used automatically: We say what we think without considering what others will understand
• Frames can be used adaptively: We say what we think in a way that is adapted to what others may understand
• Frames can be used strategically: We shape what we have in mind in such a way that others may share our frame

Borrowing from the combination of theory and case studies, practical tools for supporting framebased communication and learning were developed. Science-related issues, such as climate change, are often linked to only a few frames, which consistently appear across different policy areas. Indeed, it appears that there are some very contrasting ways in which climate change may be framed. These frames can be characterized in terms of a simple framework that highlights specific interpretations of climate issues.

A second framework clarifi es the built-in frames of decision-tools. Using Thompson’s two basic dimensions of decision, it identifies the main uncertainties that should be considered in developing a decision strategy. The paper characterizes four types of decision strategy, focusing on (1) computation, (2) compromise, (3) judgment, or (4) inspiration, and links each strategy to the appropriate methods and tools, as well as the appropriate social structures. Our experiences show that the frame-based guide can work as an eye-opener for decision makers. Frames can particularly be of help in adding new perspectives to a decision process and in checking whether the participants are able to understand each other. Hence, it is important for all the actors involved (e.g. scientists, professionals, policy-makers) to be made aware that:

• Given the many aspects, there is no single correct way to frame climate change and the decision problems it generates in a particular context
• “Taken-for granted” frames, including the frames that are “built-in” in decision tools, such as cost-benefit analysis, can subtly shape one’s conceptions of reality
• Decisions may gain from looking at weak signals of change through various scenario lenses
• Persons with diverging arguments can only communicate meaningfully if their frames overlap to a certain degree
• Decisional processes may be aided by refl ecting on the frames that underlie controversy
• Contrasting frames may be used to stimulate more active participation and enable policymakers to avoid lock-in on a non-reflected frame
• Increasing frame-awareness may open-up the process of decision-making from its very beginning.

Read more: synthesis report
Contact: project IC10