Learning platforms for climate change adaptation: the importance of effective communication

The use of virtual environments to share knowledge and experiences (e.g., learning platforms – LPs) has become increasingly widespread in recent decades. Additionally, in the field of climate change adaptation (CCA), LPs are widely used to improve the resilience of populations prone to climate change (CC)-related extreme events. Since CC is a phenomenon that involves several aspects and many different final stakeholders, an effective LP for CCA should implement communication tools that are consistent with a multifaceted structure. Nevertheless, a clear understanding of the effectiveness of the existing LPs for CCA is still lacking, as well as an analysis of the elements that would make such LPs truly effective is missing. This study aims to fill this gap and proposes a method for the assessment of existing LPs for the CCA. The assessment is based on communication elements that the scientific literature considers crucial for effective knowledge sharing in the field of CCA. Using a set of indicators derived from scientific literature and weighted by a panel of experts, several LPs, searched through conventional web examination engines, have been evaluated. The evaluation allowed for a ranking of existing LPs for the CCA, highlighting which communication elements were present and which were not. The approach can be used as a basis for better LP implementation and may be handled for possible future improvements in other cases.