Climate risk
A project to define and communicate climate-related risk
About the project
To highlight the latest evidence and better equip experts, we carried out a major work programme on climate risk and its communication.
In August 2021, we awarded seven fellowships to 10 academics and practitioners with expertise in this topic. Our work programme included hosting the Climate Risk Summit, which brought together key experts for an in-depth examination of climate risk topics. Building on this event, our fellows created several resources, including final report a handbook, and a toolkit on climate risk communication.
Resources
Communicating Climate Risk: a handbook
By Climate Risk fellow Freya Roberts, with Kris De Meyer and Lucy Hubble Rose (UCL Climate Action Unit)
This is a practical guide to communicating climate risk, designed for those working at the interface of climate science and policy. It explains insights from psychology and neuroscience on how our brains engage with the idea of climate risk, it highlights journalism hacks for writing about risk clearly, it shares lessons learned from the authors’ experience working with policymakers on climate risk, and it offers a set of useful questions to help other researchers ascertain what policymakers need from climate risk research.
Contact the authors on Twitter @UCL_CAU or email climateactionunit@ucl.ac.uk for further information.
Download it here: Communicating Climate Risk: a handbook
Communicating Climate Risk: a toolkit
By Climate Risk fellows Jo Walton and Polina Levontin (AU4DM)
This resource seeks to narrow the gap between climate science and climate action, by providing insights, recommendations, and tools for all forms of climate-related communication and decision-making, and identifies open problems. It draws together best practice on the effective communication of climate information from across STEM, social sciences, and arts and humanities. The Toolkit builds on previous work by AU4DM and partly emerges from conversations at and around the COP26 Universities Network Climate Risk Summit, as well as survey questions shared with its participants.
Download it here: Communicating Climate Risk: a toolkit
Climate Risk Decision-making: translation of decision support into policy
By Erik Mackie (University of Cambridge), Irena L.C. Connon (University of Stirling), Mark Workman (Imperial College London), Alyssa Gilbert (Imperial College London), Emily Shuckburgh (University of Cambridge)
Why are the plethora of climate risk assessments and decision support tools available to decision-makers not always translating into effective policy action on climate risk? What are the challenges, complexities and uncertainties associated with this translational process, and how can we improve the research translation pipeline in order to achieve more effective decision-making on climate policy? These are some of the key questions that this report aims to address, through a combination of a literature review, case study assessment and input from Policy Workshops with stakeholders.
Download it here: Climate Risk Decision-making: Translation of Decision Support into Policy
Briefings
We coordinate and publish briefing papers to share evidence on key climate change topics, written by more than 100 authors from across our member universities.
Latest news
Gender-inclusive climate action: empowering change at COP28
Zulfia Abawe is a Lecturer in Global Business at the University of South Wales. In this blog, she discusses the importance of advancing gender inclusive climate solutions at COP28. The 28th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) is an unparalleled platform where global leaders unite to confront the dire […]
Coastal Nature-based Solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation
Elina Apine is a Research Associate in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews. In this blog, she discusses benefits of nature-based solutions for mitigation, adaptation, and conservation. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have been at the forefront of climate change adaptation and mitigation discussions for the last few years. The […]
Technology innovation and inclusion: can a hydrogen economy be inclusive?
Mudasir Yatoo is a Research Associate at Imperial College in London. In this blog ,presents the case for the rich advanced countries making their new hydrogen technologies freely available to the poorer regions of the world.
Climate change and migration: Navigating choices for a sustainable future
Sarah Redicker is a postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Exeter. In this blog, she presents the viewpoint that rather than viewing migration as a last resort, we should actively align our efforts to maintain habitable places and provide people with choices.
Announcement: COP28 scholarship programme for early career researchers
The UUCN is delighted to announce the award of ten Networking Scholarships for UK early career researchers to attend COP28. Working in partnership with the UK Embassy Science and Innovation Network in UAE and the Research England funded Centre for Postdoctoral Research in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (C-DICE), links are being established between UAE and […]
COP28 scholarship opportunity for early career researchers
COP is a unique opportunity for early career researchers (ECRs) to make connections, meet other researchers and contribute to research discussions. Through the support of our partners, the UUCN is delighted to be coordinating a scholarship programme for two one-week delegations of UK ECRs to attend COP28. Week one: 3 – 7 December 2023 Week […]
Just launched – ActNowFilm: young people in conversation with climate experts
Young people from across the world can now apply to feature in ActNowFilm: young people in conversation with climate experts – a new youth voices film produced by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Cambridge Zero, supported by the UK Universities Climate Network. The film will feature exchanges between young people […]
Reflections on COP27: How can we build better networks among universities?
Steve Davison, UUCN International Lead, attended COP27 this past November where he co-convened two workshops for senior higher education representatives from around the world to discuss how we can better coordinate our work to support climate action. In this blog, he shares his experience with holding the events, the key outcomes, and thoughts on next […]
Joint blog with RUS: The role of universities in tackling the climate crisis
Earlier this month at COP27, the Italian University Network for Sustainable Development (RUS) and the UUCN came together to deliver a pavilion event focused on the role of universities in supporting institutions to meet their climate commitments. In this joint blog, we reflect on the experience of our networks and their members and the role […]
