The Collaborative Development of Global Indicators: Progressing Climate Communication and Education Through Data as a Policy Lever

Purpose Climate communication and education (CCE) is increasingly recognized as critical for catalyzing action to address climate change. Indicators can help mobilize climate action by informing and motivating policy change. This article outlines the development of 15 global CCE indicators, created collaboratively through a global partnership project. Design/Approach/Methods The processes for engaging a range of partners and stakeholders in indicator development and the benefits of investing in quality indicators are described. The steps taken to identify, evaluate, and select potential data sources are laid out, as are details of the approach taken to transform these data sources into policy-relevant indicators. Findings The article discusses the development of indicators from existing and newly created data sources. It emphasizes how collaborations with partners and other stakeholders are key to increasing the quality, variety, and use of CCE indicators. Originality/Value The collaborative indicator development approach described herein demonstrates how partnerships can generate robust and reliable data for monitoring and target-setting on global priorities, and can encourage indicator uptake. The resulting suite of CCE indicators enables policymakers, researchers, and organizations to monitor national, regional, and global progress on CCE; identify gaps and priorities going forward; and advocate for increased financial investment for CCE, thereby accelerating climate action.