Page - 398 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

398 R.Mechler et al. 1. Coupledhuman-physical systemsmodelling toprovidebroadscenarios forpro- jecting the futurealonga fewdecades-appliedatglobal to regional scales; 2. An empirical approach for identifying past and current national patterns and trajectoriesof change-typically targetingnational scales; 3. Locale-specificevidencecreationonlocal initiativesandexperimentationtaking abackward-lookingperspectiveandoftenbuildingonheuristics-the local scale. The literature broadly and the paper specifically emphasise that thesemethods andmodels are building on different ontologies and epistemologies. Thus, seam- less integrationacross scales isnotpossible.Rather, properboundaryprocesses for effectively aligning these different research traditions are considered conducive in order to provide useful information.Criteria for “usefulness” the following can be generally identified (McNie2007). • Saliency:Useful informationmust be salient and relevant to the specific context inwhich itwill be used. Salient information appropriately considers ecological, temporal, spatial, andadministrative scalesand timeliness. • Legitimacy:Usefulinformationmustbelegitimateinthatthosewhoproduceitare perceivedtobefreefrompoliticalsuasionorbias.Thismeansitis(i)demanddriven andinvolves(expertsfrom)relevantstakeholdergroupsinthescoping,preparation, peer-reviewandoutreach/communication; (ii) transparent, in that the information is produced and/or transmitted in away that is open and observable. (ii) builds onrelationshipsbetweenproducersandusersof the informationcharacterizedby mutual trustandrespect; (iv)buildssocialcapital throughsuccessfulrelationships andsocialorganization leading tomutual trust, credibility, commonrules,norms, reciprocity, andmutual respect. • Credibility: Useful information must be credible and dependable in that it is perceivedbytheuserstobeaccurate,valid,andofhighquality.Peerreviewisoften considered the sinequanonof credible informationyet inmany instances, other types of published information (“grey literature”) also can satisfy the credibility criterion. Importantly, useful information is not only about content, but emerges as the product of an effective process. Useable information needs to have a substantive core inwhich the informationmust be useful to the policymaker or actionable for the practitioner. It includes a procedural dimension that provides amechanism for transmitting knowledge from the scientific community to these different but inter- dependent worlds. Also, such information provides for agency in terms of social learningandpolicy-making.Wewill consider thesecriteria furtheron in thediscus- sion.