Climate Risk Perception at the Interface of Civil Protection and Citizen Science: The Case Study of Nuoro (Sardinia, Italy)

Within research on risk measurement and mitigation, there is a growing need to incorporate the perceptual dimension as a subjective and intuitive judgement, often grounded in limited and uncertain information. Awareness, worry, and preparedness are variables that should be incorporated into risk management plans, for example with respect to extreme meteorological and climatic events. To achieve these objectives, a bottom-up approach is required, emphasizing communication that is aligned with the dynamics of social risk perception and sufficiently clear to elicit citizens’ cooperative engagement.

Citizen science encompasses participatory, evidence-based practices that engage the public in data collection and data sharing, in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda (e.g., SDG 13.3, which focuses on education, awareness-raising, and capacity-building for mitigation, adaptation, and early warning). This approach is expanding globally due to the increasing accessibility of relevant technologies and rising levels of digital literacy and education. Accordingly, investigations of risk perception should consider not only the population’s tacit knowledge but also levels of awareness, which are often associated with demographic characteristics.

The present study is part of a broader research project carried out in collaboration with the Nuorese and Alta Baronia's Centers for Environmental Education and Sustainability and the University of Sassari (Sardinia, Italy), targeting local communities with the following objectives: (I) to assess climate risk perception; (II) to examine behaviours aimed at reducing and mitigating risk; and (III) to promote active participation for self-protection against climate-related hazards. Here we report the case study of Nuoro, the capital of the homonymous province. A questionnaire administered to Nuoro's community was used to investigate: (1) climate risk perception in terms of awareness of meteorological-climatic changes and perceived place-based vulnerability; (2) knowledge of official risk communication tools (i.e., the Civil Protection Plan) and the level of collaborative engagement within the local community; (3) communication channels and information-sharing tools; (4) the extent to which extreme meteorological and climatic events are associated with impacts on individual health.

Overall, the results suggested a good level of community awareness of risks affecting the local area, with an appropriate linkage to health-related risks. At the same time, limited knowledge of the Civil Protection Plan emerged, highlighting a mismatch between top-down actions and bottom-up collaborative activities. Moreover, the community favoured multimedia tools for information exchange, underscoring the effectiveness of digital communication.

Future research is therefore envisaged to strengthen collaboration between local territories and the research community (e.g., universities) through the organisation of local workshops aimed at reinforcing climate risk culture. These activities seek to integrate expert and local knowledge through participatory and co-design processes, in line with the principles of post-normal science and the complexity of decision-making in risk management within urban ecosystems.