Community engagement and climate change: learning from recent Australian experience John Wiseman and Lara Williamson School of Population Health, McCaughey Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, and Jess Fritze Victorian Council of Social Service, Melbourne, Australia Abstract Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to summarise the outcomes of a recent project in Victoria, Australia exploring the effectiveness of community engagement strategies in improving climate mitigation and adaptation outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Roundtables and interviews with a diverse range of community engagement practitioners and policy makers involved in climate change work were conducted, informed by a discussion paper outlining recent Australian and international learning about community engagement and climate change. Findings – The project confirms and builds on recent international learning about the importance of carefully planned and implemented community engagement as essential components in effective climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Originality/value – The paper brings together learning from recent on-the-ground experience from Australian community engagement practitioners and policy makers working in the climate change field. In addition to evidence supporting the international case for community engagement methodologies the paper also summarises a number of factors important to effective climate change community engagement strategies. Keywords Environmental management, Global warming, Community relations, Citizen participation, Australia Paper type Research paper It is not enough for people to know about climate change in order to be engaged; they also need to care about it, be motivated and able to take action (Lorenzoni et al., 2007, p. 446). Introduction Governments and policy makers in many countries are increasingly investing in citizen and community engagement as a key element in strategies to improve climate change outcomes through informed public debate and action (Hartz-Karp and Newman, 2006; Moser and Dilling, 2007; McKinney and Harmon, 2007). This paper summarises the outcomes of a research project recently conducted for the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development (Victoria, Australia) The project was undertaken by the McCaughey Centre, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne in collaboration with the Victorian Council of Social Service and Council on the Ageing, Victoria. The project aimed to strengthen The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1756-8692.htm IJCCSM 2,2 134 Received 1 June 2009 Revised 11 September 2009 Accepted 1 December 2009 International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management Vol. 2 No. 2, 2010 pp. 134-147 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1756-8692 DOI 10.1108/17568691011040399