Knowledge co-production, where groups with different backgrounds collaborate to generate new knowledge and practices, is key to addressing climate change. But, ensuring fairness and equity in the process is a challenge, particularly as different parties often bring varied perspectives on the co-production process itself. 

Acknowledging this challenge, the Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) joined with two other federal climate programs – the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) and the USDA Climate Hubs – to host “The Equity and Scientific Co-Production workshop” in the spring of 2022.  

The workshop allowed researchers to collaboratively draft a useable framework for designing and implementing equitable co-production projects.  Contributing to this work were Alaska CASC Research Assistant Professor Kristin Timm, the lead author; North Central CASC Assistant Regional Administrator, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, a panelist at the workshop and co-author on the workshop report; Alaska CASC Science Applications Coordinator, Ryan Toohey, another co-author; and National CASC Chief Scientist, Shawn Carter,  who served as part of the workshop’s advisory board. 

Prior to the workshop, researchers had identified three distinct perspectives on equitable co-production by interviewing and surveying participants from the case studies. At the workshop, they focused on these case studies, each from one of the three federal climate programs. The workshop’s discussions centered around the different perspectives, which could be summarized as: (1) ways of knowing and power, (2) participants and interactions, and (3) science as capacity building. 

Some of the participants at the workshop had been part of the three case studies, but there were many from other government, academic, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community organizations. They highlighted several challenges, including the lack of systematic support structures, and compiled suggestions for overcoming those challenges.  

Increased federal support for climate justice programs has brought equity issues in co-production to light. The best practices and tensions identified during this workshop is intended to guide the creation of more effective and equitable climate adaptation strategies, benefiting vulnerable communities and ecosystems across the country. 

The report, titled “Perspectives on Equitable Co-Production: Workshop Report,” was published through the Consortium for Science Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University and was supported by the NSF-funded project “EAGER: Equity in Scientific Co-production Processes: Creation of a Framework.” 

A public event accompanied the workshop, which included a keynote address from the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). A video of the keynote is available to watch online.  

Results from interviews and surveys of project participants was published in the journal Community Science, titled: “What does equitable co-production entail? Three perspectives.” 

Other news coverage of this project: Three Perspectives on the Equitable Co-Production of Climate Research | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)