The UK Climate Resilience Programme is pleased to announce a second cohort of projects have been awarded through the Embedded Research fund with UKRI.
The seven projects are from a total fund of £370K and span tourism, churches and their communities, the delivery of place-based climate adaptation plans and strategies, the use of stochastic weather generators, and the role of the arts and storytelling to inform resilience and communicate climate impacts and risk.
Embedded researchers undertake a 12-month placement with a non-academic host organisation. The researcher will continue to be employed by their academic research institution, but will spend a significant period of time embedded in the host organisation to conduct the research, with virtual and hybrid embedding models being permitted.
The opportunity allows embedded researchers to play a key role in bridging between academics, decision-makers and practitioners. By working with both host organisation colleagues and academics, the embedded researchers will have the opportunity to gather relevant data and information, working collaboratively to generate new knowledge, synthesise and communicate findings to promote learning across the relevant science, business and policy domain.
Awards
Climate change and the tourism sector: impacts and adaptations at visitor attractions
Prof Tim Coles, University of Exeter, The National Trust (host) with Historic Environment Scotland
This project will take up the challenge identified in CCRA3 by investigating the nature and extent of the relationship between visitor patterns and behaviours at attractions with climatic conditions both now and in the future (initially to 2050 to shadow net-zero policy, later to look at four pathways and scenarios from 2050 to 2080). Work will be embedded in the team delivering the Climate Change Adaptation programme at the UK’s largest operator of visitor attractions, the National Trust.
Whose role is it to act on climate resilience? Implementing Yorkshire’s Climate Action Plan with Leeds City Council
Prof Stephen Scott-Bottoms, The University of Manchester and Leeds City Council (host)
There remains a lack of clarity about whose role it is to take a lead on resilience to climate impacts in the UK. This project, with Leeds City Council, will work with their Flood Risk Management office and asks how feasible or appropriate it would be for them to take on a broader role as resilience champions for Leeds. The project will use the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s new Climate Action Plan as the catalyst for participatory research conversations to assess what adaptations might be needed within council structures and partner relationships to respond swiftly and inclusively to climate resilience challenges.
Climate Action Strategy for City of London – Adaptive Design/Pathways “London’s Cubic Mile”
Ms Kathryn (Katy) Freeborough, NERC British Geological Survey and City of London Corporation (host)
This embedded researcher placement will support the City of London Corporation to deliver its Climate Action Strategy 2020-2027. The Climate Resilience Adaptive Pathways study which underpins the Strategy, identifies that ‘Many of the actions to increase climate resilience in the City of London require changes to physical space or revisions to how the public realm is used.’ In accordance with its recommendations, the placement will identify how urban subsurface space can be used to deliver the City of London’s Climate Action Strategy and identify potential opportunities as to how under-utilised space may be better used to improve climate resilience.
Facilitating Stochastic Simulation for UK Climate Resilience
Dr David Pritchard, Newcastle University and JBA Consulting (host)
The project aim is to facilitate wider use of stochastic weather generators in applied UK climate resilience projects, with a focus on flood and water management. Its objectives include understanding the priorities and requirements of practitioners in flood and water management sectors, evaluating weather generator strengths and weaknesses in a real-world case study of the Thames basin, and exploring insights from combining weather generator with climate projection information in different scenarios, as well as prototyping solutions to weather generator limitations.
Once upon a time in a heatwave – exploring the power of stories to engage and empower people in climate change risk and resilience in Northern Ireland
Dr Alan Kennedy-Asser, University of Bristol and Climate Northern Ireland (host)
By embedding a researcher with Climate Northern Ireland (Climate NI), Once upon a time in a heatwave will explore the use of storytelling methods to communicate climate science and climate change impacts and risks in Northern Ireland (NI). The project will work with decision makers, stakeholder and wider priority audiences, and has two overarching and equally important aims: to share the latest climate impacts and risk projections for Nl in novel and engaging ways that lead to better understanding and climate adaptation action; and to evaluate subtleties in the effectiveness of storytelling and communication techniques in NI.
Time and Tide: Resilience, Adaptation, Art
Professor Corinna Wagner, University of Exeter and Time and Tide Bell (host)
The creative initiative Time and Tide Bell is a permanent, multi-site installation of cast bronze sculptural bells, designed so that the action of tidal waves causes them to ring in harmonious tones. There are currently seven around the British coast, with more due to be installed, and they belong to their respective communities. The overarching aim of the project is to investigate the role of the arts in bringing communities together to reflect deeply on their relationship to the sea and on the inseparability of human and natural systems. A more specific aim will investigate how science-informed art can help communities become more resilient in the face of climate change and socio-economic inequalities.
Co-developing resilience strategies for churches and their communities
Mr Christopher Walsh, The University of Manchester and Church of England (host)
This research is a collaboration between a researcher from the Tyndall Centre in Manchester and hosted by the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Division (CCB). It is concerned with identifying, collating, and disseminating successful climate adaptation strategies adopted by some of the Church of England’s over 16,000 churches and other heritage buildings, and by their wider communities. The project will equip the Church of England as well as thousands of individual churches with the information they need to protect their church building and utilise the building to enhance community climate resilience.