This project will develop, produce, and implement role-play simulation case studies for Georgetown County citizens and leaders, with the goal of starting community discussions around climate adaptation and mitigation planning. The project team will develop the simulations based on localized climate information and data for temperature and precipitation. This will be combined with information gathered through key stakeholder interviews on their understanding of climate change, the climate-related risk factors that are of the greatest interest to them, and the social and political context in which decisions will be made. This information will then be used to create a scientific fact sheet for each case study, the roles within the case studies, risks that are present, and possible solutions based on sociopolitical context and scientific evidence.

The project seeks to engage 150-200 participants in the role-playing simulations through a minimum of four community participation workshops throughout the county. The role-play will allow for collective community learning and engagement, and the potential for developing policy recommendations. It will help to incorporate climate risk management into local decision-making processes in the public and private sectors. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.