Twenty-first century collective intelligence — combining people’s knowledge and skills, new forms of data and increasingly, technology — has the untapped potential to transform the way people understand and act on climate change.

Collective intelligence for climate action in the Global South takes many forms: from crowdsourcing of Indigenous knowledge to preserve biodiversity, to participatory monitoring of extreme heat and farmer experiments adapting crops to weather variability.

This research analyses 100+ climate initiatives across 45 countries that tap into people’s participation and use new forms of data. This research illustrates the potential that exists in communities everywhere to contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. It also aims to shine a light on practical ways in which these initiatives could be designed and further developed so this potential can be fully unleashed.