Information Matters: Global Perspectives about Communication at the Science-Policy Interface

Abstract

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro marked major turning points in international environmental politics with endorsed multilateral agreements, and conservation and protection placed on many national agendas.1 Subsequent global environmental assessments have systematically assembled scientific information intended for decision-making regarding sustainable development. Now, over forty years later, governmental and intergovernmental organizations continue to produce a diverse range of scientific publications containing information aimed at guiding public policy-making for coastal and ocean management. Today, much of this large volume of information is accessible through numerous communication methods. Recently, improving information flow at the science-policy interface has become a priority in the urgent need to achieve sustainable development globally. At the Rio+20 Conference in 2012 many countries agreed to support actions to strengthen provision and access to timely and accurate scientific information, and to promote use of the information and communication technologies in decision-making.2 Since 2002, the interdisciplinary Environmental Information: Use and Influence research program at Dalhousie University has been studying characteristics of the science-policy interface. This research shows that scientific information fulfills an important role in decision-making, and the process of generating scientific information may be as important as the publications themselves.3 We have concluded that building understanding of how information is produced, communicated, and used within governmental organizations is central to strategies for ensuring information reaches decision-makers effectively. Our case studies on the awareness, communication, and use of information produced by governmental organizations engaged in coastal and ocean