How Citizens Engage with Climate Authorities on Social Media

This page brings together all the materials related to the study "How citizens engage with the social media presence of climate authorities: the case of five Brazilian cities", by Lesandro Ponciano. It includes datasets, dissemination materials, a podcast video, and more—designed for students, researchers, and anyone interested in digital engagement and climate resilience.

Main Research Article

How citizens engage with the social media presence of climate authorities: the case of five Brazilian cities

Published in: npj Climate Action (Nature Portfolio)

The research explores citizen interactions with climate authorities on social media in five Brazilian cities, especially during extreme weather events. Using social media analysis, meteorological data, and qualitative methods, it examines how digital platforms shape climate communication. The findings highlight engagement patterns that promote awareness and preparedness, showing how online exchanges between citizens and officials can strengthen community resilience in the face of climate challenges.

Read the full article on npj Climate Action journal

Research Datasets

The following datasets were created as part of this research and are publicly available for further analysis:

Social Media Interaction Data

This dataset contains the social media interactions analyzed in the study.

Access social media dataset on Zenodo

Meteorological Warnings Data

This complementary dataset includes the official meteorological warnings issued for the studied cities during the study period.

Access meteorological warnings dataset on Zenodo

Science Communication Articles

These articles present the research findings in an accessible format for broader audiences:

Government climate authorities on social media: a study triggered by social media activities on the wettest day in a city's history

The history behind the paper. It explains that the idea for the research arose from an extreme weather event that occurred in the city of Belo Horizonte in 2020.

Read the history behind the paper on Springer Nature Community

How do government climate authorities and citizens interact through social media?

An overview of the communication patterns identified in the research, discussing implications for effective climate communication strategies.

Read an overview of the results on Springer Nature Community

Como os cidadãos se engajam com a presença das autoridades climáticas nas redes sociais?

Uma visão geral dos padrões de comunicação identificados na pesquisa, discutindo implicações para estratégias eficazes de comunicação climática.

Read an overview of the results on Academizando

Autoridades climáticas governamentais nas redes sociais: um estudo desencadeado por atividades nas redes sociais no dia mais chuvoso da história de uma cidade Brasileira

A história por trás do artigo. Ele explica que a ideia da pesquisa surgiu de um evento climático extremo ocorrido na cidade de Belo Horizonte em 2020.

Read an overview of the results on Academizando

Conference Presentation

Reflections on Community Communications for Climate Adaptation and Preparedness through Information and Communication Technologies

This presentation expands on the research findings, discussing how digital communication technologies can enhance community preparedness for climate-related events.

View presentation slides on Zenodo

Research Podcast

Listen to a discussion about the research findings, methodology, and implications for climate communication:

Research Significance

This research contributes to several important areas:

The findings are particularly relevant for:

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

This research contributes to SDG 11 by analyzing how climate authorities in urban settings leverage social media to enhance community preparedness and resilience.

SDG 13: Climate Action

The study supports SDG 13 by exploring digital engagement strategies that promote public awareness and responsiveness during extreme weather events.

Other relevant works by Lesandro Ponciano

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Volunteers' engagement in human computation for astronomy projects

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Citizen science terminology matters: Exploring key terms

Published in Citizen Science: Theory and Practice. A linguistic and conceptual analysis on the impact of terminology in citizen science.

Considering human aspects on strategies for designing and managing distributed human computation

Published in Journal of Internet Services and Applications. Discusses design strategies for distributed computing systems that engage human participants.

Agreement-based credibility assessment and task replication in human computation systems

Published in Future Generation Computer Systems. Proposes mechanisms to assess credibility in crowd-based systems.