Report highlights value of people-centred approach to climate adaptation

Report highlights value of people-centred approach to climate adaptation
A new report co-developed by the Government Office for Science highlights how social science evidence can help when developing policy to help the UK adapt to our changing climate.
The report explores how people’s needs, behaviours, experiences and local contexts affect the way climate risks are experienced and how measures to help us adapt to climate changes are understood, taken up and delivered.
‘Putting people at the centre of UK climate adaptation and resilience’ has been developed by the ACCESS (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science) Adaptation and Resilience Task Force, co-chaired by the Government Office for Science.
The report highlights the value of putting people at the centre of efforts to adapt to our climate. It argues that responding to the effects of climate change such as flooding, heatwaves and drought is not just about improving infrastructure and using technology. It is also about understanding how people experience these issues, how they respond to them and what support they need to take action to adapt to climate change.
Drawing on research, expert advice and workshops, the report sets out practical ways for policymakers to use evidence about how people think, behave and make decisions when developing policies to help the UK adapt to the changing climate. By helping policymakers better understand people’s needs, experiences and behaviours, the report aims to support adaptation measures that are more effective, equitable and responsive to climate risks, helping communities, businesses and public services prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean said:
The actions that people can take, and their effects, are influenced by a range of social, behavioural, economic, and cultural factors. To adapt well to our changing climate, we need to understand what affects the choices people can make and use that understanding when designing policies and support.
This report makes an important contribution to that agenda. It summarises scientific insights, concepts, methods and approaches that can be used to help adaptation and resilience policy be more effective, more equitable, and more grounded in the realities of everyday life.
The ACCESS Adaptation and Resilience Task Force comprised 13 academic and government social scientists with extensive subject knowledge and experience of working across the science-policy interface.