Public Engagement and Communication

01 Assess needs and opportunities

Conduct a situation assessment or SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to identify the needs and priorities of the air quality program and stakeholder community. Stakeholder mapping tools can also help to identify a wide range of actors who have an interest in supporting or blocking clean air action, ensuring you don’t miss anyone and enabling you to take note of the connections.

02 Make a plan

Completing the situation assessment provides a roadmap for determining what kinds of public activities to pursue and what the overall objectives of engagement should be. A communications plan complements public participation planning by providing more detail on key messages, target audiences, timeline and priority communication channels. It is important that communications and engagement objectives align with other relevant departments and the overall priorities of the city or jurisdiction’s leadership. It should also scope out staff and budget needs.

03 Gather existing data and information

Global and regional sources of air quality data are a helpful starting point for preparing messaging and informing communications and outreach. A great deal of information can be found on the types and levels of air pollution exposure by region, country and municipality (e.g. Open AQ, WHO, data from air monitors at U.S. embassies, etc.). Climate and Clean Air Coalition assessments give an overview of the main sources and sectors for the African, Asian and Latin American regions, as well as recommendations on the most effective measures to tackle these sources. Data on health impacts of air pollution can be found on sites like BreatheLife, the University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index, and the Health Effects Institute’s State of Global Air, which provides country-level data on air pollution and its health burden for more than 200 countries.

As part of the data gathering process, refer back to Decision Support guidance which will include data gathering as well as developing an assessment framework to inform air quality actions (see Decision Support Guidance, Stage 1, Step 10) to brief stakeholders on the data, tools and assessment methods to be used so that identified solutions will be able to achieve buy-in for successful implementation. Communicators can also play a helpful role in facilitating workshops and presenting the research to stakeholders in effective and engaging ways.

04 Create simple and effective messaging and materials

Strive for messages and content that are understandable to a non-technical audience and as free as possible from scientific jargon. Think about tying messages to other cross-cutting issues that resonate with the public like health, road safety, climate resilience and green jobs. Have basic information ready to go on high pollution days to inform the public on what is causing them and what they can do to protect themselves. And finally, find creative ways to spread the messages - whether it be through social media, billboards or special events.

05 Foster knowledge exchange with local scientists and researchers

Consider forming a working group and/or organizing a forum with the local scientific community to better understand what research on air quality has been undertaken and what is planned. Be sure to include government researchers from other departments such as climate, energy, municipal waste, public health, transport, and urban planning. 

Community empowerment, women’s groups and other civil society organizations may also be doing some relevant work to identify and address air pollution emission sources, or to better understand the socio-economic impacts. Casting as wide a net as possible can result in unexpected insights and concrete information that can deepen understanding of the location situation.

06 Consult with affected communities

Initiating outreach to neighborhoods near pollution hotspots such as industrial parks, roadways and waste sites is needed to better understand the impacts to these communities and barriers that are preventing action. Conducting surveys and/or group discussions can be helpful to better understand their perspectives and priorities to build more equitable and responsive solutions.

07 Cultivate clean air champions

Identify potential allies for clean air within communities and sectors, share information with them, and raise their voices and stories in the public discourse. A pulmonologist at a local hospital who is seeing the impact of air pollution on patients’ lungs, the politician whose constituents are demanding clean air, a social media influencer, or a student who is learning about environmental issues can all be powerful change agents within their communities or at the city or national level in supporting policies and actions.

08 Engage with the health and climate sectors on awareness activities

Air pollution, climate and health are cross-cutting issues that share common root causes and solutions. That is why it is important to find common cause with stakeholders working on public health issues or plans to address climate change. Organizing workshops to introduce these key stakeholders to air quality priorities and enlisting them to support data collection or training for their network can start to build momentum for action.

09 Start a media dialogue

Air quality is a technical topic that most newsrooms are ill-equipped to cover. Partnering with media training organizations or local journalism schools to offer ‘Air Pollution 101’ briefings and field visits to the media is an effective way to build interest and a baseline of knowledge.

10 Commit to collecting and sharing reliable air quality data

As data from local researchers and others is evaluated, and jurisdictions start their own monitoring programs, it is important to decide on policies and plans to put that data to use. The goal should be to increase the availability, quality control and integration of a common set of official and non-official sources of data that can be utilized for further research and decision- making. 

Establishing a more concrete, shared understanding of the localized sources and impacts of air pollution among a wide range of stakeholders – from elected officials to public health managers, community organizations and the general public – builds trust in the government’s commitment to tackling air pollution and is needed to increase support for targeted clean air actions.