Center Publishes Good Practices in Co-Production of Knowledge

The Center for Science and Society is proud to announce the publication of the Good Practices in the Co-Production of Knowledge: Working Well Together in Environmental Change Research report. 

Current research structures can often ignore or unintentionally exploit communities for their local knowledge to pursue scientific solutions. In addition, the solutions developed by scientists without local input and buy-in are often not resilient or lasting. Building and implementing effective climate responses will require deeply collaborative partnerships and relationships between those with scientific and policy knowledge and affected communities with local expertise. Co-production of knowledge efforts in the climate sciences come in many forms, often working to identify climate solutions and upend research hierarchies through equitable redistribution of power and resources. 

However, the process of 'doing' knowledge co-production is far from simple. It is a multi-year process that prioritizes building trusted relationships over speed and is antithetical to many traditional funding mechanisms for academic research. Therefore, this living document was created specifically for climate researchers looking to understand and incorporate co-production of knowledge into their work. Relational principles, good practices, and points of reflection will help guide readers through the challenges, complexities, and many opportunities for transformative climate research. 

The development of this report was led by then Center postdoctoral scholar Mike Petriello and was the culmination of a March 2024 workshop attended by researchers, Indigenous leaders, government representatives, and other experts. 

The report was funded by the Moore Foundation and part of the Center's Co-Production of Knowledge Initiative, which is supported by the Columbia Climate School.