Guidelines for implementing the Citizen Science Toolkit in climate assemblies

The Citizen Science Toolkit for Climate Assemblies (CS Toolkit) serves as a comprehensive resource for organizations, communities, and climate assembly participants interested in introducing the power of citizen science in different parts of the deliberative process. Accordingly, the main goal of the CS Toolkit is to allow the different actors of the climate assemblies to enhance and deploy existing citizen science projects through actions during the assemblies, in different geographic contexts and territories.  

In these general guidelines, you will find an overview of the journey to implementing citizen science actions in climate assemblies. 

Citizen science in climate assemblies 

 According to the co-creation process held in Ebre Bioterritory Living Lab and ECSA2024 and the testing session held in Chios Living Lab, citizen science can positively contribute to different phases of the assembly: 

• Framing and organization phase: Local citizen science reflects social concerns in each territory. Thus, identifying citizen science projects and activities can be useful for selecting topics (e.g., mobility, energy, greenery, etc.) for climate assemblies in each context. Analysing citizen science projects, communities, organizations and citizen observatories in a region can yield evidence of environmental issues and provide insights into public concerns. 

• Learning phase: Invite citizen scientists and those deploying citizen science actions in the local context to participate in climate assemblies the same way the professional scientists or technicians are invited. This approach can facilitate data collection, knowledge sharing, and the ignition of collective intelligence. Citizen scientists can contribute as experts, sharing their experiential knowledge. Their involvement can inspire, empower, and engage assembly participants, enriching their knowledge and experience. 

• Deliberation and recommendations: Data collected from citizens can be presented during the assembly to reinforce the deliberation phase. 

• Follow-up: Citizen science can provide evidence for monitoring the effects of policies. It can play a crucial role, possibly involving the initiation of new projects to track the effectiveness of recommendations or utilizing existing projects for monitoring purposes. Additionally, establishing a citizen observatory based on citizen-generated data with assembly members could be a viable method to monitor the impact of the measures applied. 

Citizen science offers a powerful tool for empowering communities to address climate adaptation challenges. By actively participating in data collection and knowledge generation, citizens gain a deeper understanding of their environment and become agents of change. This little guide outlines the key steps for integrating citizen science into climate assemblies.  

What do we want to achieve with this activity? 

Defining general and specific goals is essential for the success of the citizen science activity. Here are some specific goals that you can adapt to the context and overall goals of each climate assembly. 

• Raise awareness: Increase community awareness of the impacts of climate change.  

• Empower: Empower citizens to become agents of change and contribute to the solution of environmental problems derived from climate change. 

• Foster a sense of ownership: Empower participants by involving them in decision-making processes and recognizing their bottom-up contributions. 

• Connect: Encourage the connection of people with their environment and promote citizen participation in science. 

• Collect data: Obtain valuable data on a specific environmental problem to support knowledge uptaking, scientific research and bottom-up decision-making. 

What knowledge or skills do you want to transmit? 

Citizen science at the climate assembly has great potential to convey key knowledge and skills to address local climate change challenges. Here is a list of aspects fostered through these activities: 

• Data observation and recording: Enhance horizontal learning through experiential uptaking on how to collect, analyze, understand and use bottom-up data systematically and accurately using different tools. 

• Data Analysis: Interpreting and analyzing the data collected to identify patterns and trends of nature under a climate change scenario.  

• Scientific communication: Transmit the bottom-up driven results concisely to different audiences. 

• Critical thinking: Evaluating available information and making evidence-based decisions. 

• Citizen empowerment: Develop the skills needed to actively participate and collaborate with other citizens in climate-related decision-making and research activities. 

How do we want to make it happen? 

First and foremost, it is essential to understand all the details of the climate assembly to properly frame the citizen science activity. This survey for climate assemblies can help gather the necessary information to gain an initial understanding of the assembly.

Additionally, an important question to address with climate assembly organizers is what constitutes citizen science and what does not.

Once all the information about the climate assembly has been processed and clarified, we can proceed to ideate the citizen science activity.

1. Benchmark and selection of a CS project 

   Selecting an appropriate citizen science (CS) project is crucial for making the objectives of the citizen science activity in climate assemblies real. The ideal project should resonate with the local community, be accessible to participants of all backgrounds, and contribute meaningfully to scientific understanding and policy recommendations’ development and its follow-up.  

   • Why: Justify the selection of a concrete Citizen Science project and its contribution to the general goals and impacts of the activity and the assembly.  

   • Local relevance: Choose a project that is relevant to the community in and connects with local climate challenges and the goals of the assembly. 

   • Impact: Consider projects that generate useful data for scientific research or policy decision-making. 

General Citizen Science Platforms 

EU-Citizen.Science: A European platform offering a wide range of resources, tools, and citizen science projects. It's an excellent starting point to find projects and learn more about citizen science in Europe. 

SciStarter: A US-based platform connecting citizens with citizen science projects worldwide. It offers a diverse range of projects across various disciplines. 

Zooniverse: A leading platform for citizen science projects focused on data classification. It offers a wide array of projects in astronomy, zoology, history, and more. 

Concrete Global Citizen Science Projects 

iNaturalist (link): A social network for citizen scientists to record and share observations of nature. It's a great tool for documenting biodiversity. 

eBird (link): A global platform for recording bird observations. It's an essential tool for birdwatchers and scientists studying birds. 

2. Community involvement 

   Once selected the project, it is essential to contact with the organizers to foster collaboration with organizers and practitioners, synchronizing agendas and aligning activities.  

   • Collaborate with experts and citizen scientists: Invite local citizen scientists to provide experience on the topic to the goals of the assembly, the putative contribution of the citizen science along the process. Such enhancing with worthy activities, exchanging knowledge and experience’ provisioning advise during the assembly or help in the monitoring of policy recommendations.  

   • Form partnerships: Foster the alignment of both, climate assembly and the activity goals with community needs and priorities. 

3. Co-create the activity 

    Effective co-creation of the activities and planning is essential for a successful citizen science activity. A well-structured event ensures participant engagement, experiential knowledge and up taking and data quality. Key factors to consider include the activity's duration, necessary materials, clear instructions, and effective promotion. By carefully considering these elements, organizers can create an enjoyable and informative experience for participants.  

   • Select the duration: Concrete an adequate time for the activity.  

     • Shorter activities: 1-2 hour timeframe is a good starting point for an introductory activity. It can be  

     • Longer activities: For more in-depth experiences, half-day or full-day workshop could be more suitable for these scenarios. 

   • Co-design the activity: It requires to collaboratively create the citizen science activity with local citizen scientists. 

   • Set-up a collaborative Planning: Jointly develop a plan for a specific citizen science activity. 

     • Brainstorming and ideation: Encourage participants to share ideas and perspectives on potential project themes and methodologies. 

     • Facilitate participatory workshops: Organize workshops to involve local citizen science-related actors in the co-design process. 

     • Role definition: Clearly define roles and responsibilities for different actors around the activity. 

     • Define the planning: Work collaboratively to define clear and shared objectives for the citizen science activity. 

4. Plan the citizen science activity 

   Planning the citizen science activity involves outlining the specific details and logistics from its conception to implementation. It encompasses a series of steps to ensure the activity runs smoothly and achieves its intended goals. 

   • Define the space to be carried out and logistics: It implies the selection of a physical location, also considering the logistical and environmental aspects that will influence the participants' experience. 

   • Materials: Make sure you have all the necessary materials (sensors, identification guides, registration forms, etc.).  

   • Define clear instructions: Prepare simple and clear instructions for participants and facilitators, to carry out the activity autonomously. 

   • Engaging the activity: Make the activity fun and participatory. Breaking the activity into manageable segments to prevent participant fatigue. Incorporate short breaks or interactive elements to maintain engagement. 

   • Literacy: Develop a simple presentation to show the results of the activity and their relevance to the whole assembly.  

   • Evaluation. Evaluation is a critical component of any citizen science activity and its success. It allows organizers to assess the effectiveness of the activity, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate its impact. It should correlate with the expected goals of the activity.  

   • Dissemination: Promote the activity through local communication channels and on social networks.