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- Title
Information, Public Decision-Making, and Climate Change: The Many Roles of Grey Literature.
- Authors
MacDonald, Bertrum H.; Manuel, Patricia
- Abstract
The far-reaching effects of climate change are among the leading global concerns today. The impacts of changing climate manifest in rising global temperatures (on land and in the ocean), escalating destructive extreme weather events, increasing biodiversity loss, shifting biomes, growing food insecurity, greater health risks (physical and mental), and involuntary migration of people, among other interconnected factors. The complexity of these problems individually and collectively is receiving extensive consideration in research and public arenas. Concerns about the influences of climate change have been increasing since the 1950s and through the last half of the twentieth century scientific understanding reached a consensus of the causes and numerous negative outcomes. The impacts have become clear in the first decades of the twenty-first century. Researchers in many disciplines are cautioning that the world is rapidly reaching a tipping point in the overall health of the planet, after which recovery will be very difficult. In addition, decision makers are grappling with how to evaluate multiple and sometimes competing calls for action and to decide how to address the issues best. In both research and decision-making settings, grey literature has been a prominent information genre about the multifaceted aspects of climate. Large quantities of grey literature on climate and climate change subjects have been produced. Academic institutions, governmental and intergovernmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, think tanks, and news media have turned out grey literature ranging from brochures to hefty technical reports. These materials have been generated in print and digital formats to fulfil a suite of roles: 1) to report research findings, 2) to compile and synthesize literature on research and professional practice, 3) to inform policymakers and the public, 4) to advocate for policy development, 5) to implement policy, 6) to promote change in professional and individual practice, 7) to educate; 8) to broker information and promote networking, and 9) to counter misinformation. In this paper we draw on research about decision making in public policy and management practice about coastal and marine environments to illustrate how grey literature on climate subjects has been deployed in delivering on these roles. Grey literature is widely used in many decision-making contexts. Recognizing its numerous roles can inform citizens, managers, planners, and policy- and decision-makers in addressing the climate challenges facing society today.
- Subjects
GREY literature; CLIMATE change in literature; CLIMATE change; POLICY sciences; EXTREME weather; CLIMATE change skepticism; NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations
- Publication
Grey Journal (TGJ), 2024, Vol 20, Issue 2, p99
- ISSN
1574-1796
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.26069/greynet-2024-000.501-gg