Exploring the use of climate information as practice

Abstract

Providing usable climate information to city planners and decision makers is considered a pre-requisite to develop robust urban adaptation strategies. However, despite efforts to increase the use of climate information, its integration in decision processes is still low. This article argues that a key aspect hindering the uptake of climate information is the lack of understanding about the social dimensions underpinning its use. The article contributes to bridge this gap by explaining the use of climate information as social practice. Drawing on three case studies of municipal administrations, the article shows how the use of climate information unfolds within a network of practices that are intricately woven into the workflow of each respective municipality. Findings suggest that the use of climate information transpires in four social dimensions: a legitimacy dimension, which recognises that using climate information requires deliberate legitimation action; a dependency dimension, which stresses that the use of climate information depends on customary-working practices; a consequential dimension, which suggests that using climate information provokes changes to working practices; and a processual dimension, which reveals that the use climate information co-evolves with working practices as two mutually constitutive phenomena. The article concludes by suggesting that a practice approach helps us to shed light on how the use of climate information transpires inherently tied to a specific decision context.