This presentation describes our project to create a tool to communicate climate change in the Okanagan Valley. I will explain the design philosophies, challenges, and iterative processes involved in making the indicators and graphs as intuitive as possible._x000D_ _x000D_ Climate change communication is critical but complex. By its nature, climate change is full of complex interactions, variability, and uncertainty; Thus, many graphs meant to inform only confuse. Even for highly educated non-subject matter experts, it is difficult to keep track of and understand the ever-increasing research on climate. The disconnect can be even worse when communicating with the public in a time of increasing misinformation and distrust of experts. Tools like our indicators dashboard useful to develop across Canada. Local communities face local implications for climate change and water management issues, and subject matter experts must invest in creating accessible communication tools tailored to their communities._x000D_ _x000D_ The talk will explore communication in the context of the Okanagan Valley, which has numerous water management issues that are made more acute by climate change. As heatwaves, fires, floods, cold snaps, and droughts intensify, conflict over water management priorities is increasing. After looking for a tool that could help communicate climate change at a regional and local level and failing to find one, we decided to create our own. The result was a dashboard where residents, decision-makers, and local experts can view how their communities have changed over the past 100+ years. _x000D_
