A new report from ACCESS and the Government Office for Science demonstrates that climate adaptation is not only a technical challenge, but also a social one that is shaped by how climate risks are experienced, understood and managed by different people and communities.
While climate risks from heat, flooding and water scarcity are growing rapidly, a more resilient, prosperous and secure UK can be achieved through coordinated action across society and investment in adaptation now rather than incurring much higher costs later.
The new report - "Putting people at the centre of UK climate adaptation and resilience" - calls for the inclusion of social science insights at every stage of the policymaking process to help society achieve fairer and more effective adaptation and resilience processes and outcomes.
The report synthesises social science evidence for policymakers, alongside six case studies and a list of useful resources and practical tools.
Professor Irene Lorenzoni, from the University of East Anglia, Co-Chair of the ACCESS Adaptation and Resilience Task Force, said: "This report outlines how insights from social sciences, alongside other approaches, provide support for an agile and responsive policy process on adaptation and long-term resilience.
"The report invites policy makers to include social science insights into decision making, by considering real-world contexts, differentiated risks and vulnerabilities, and how people make decisions.
"Case studies and resources illustrate how this approach offers the opportunity of creating and reviewing workable policy options to better respond to the impacts of a changing climate over time."
The 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.
It was co-led by Professor Lorenzoni and Dr Rory Walshe, from the Government Office for Science.
Read the full report and executive summary here.
