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Informing UK governance of resilience to climate risks: improving the local evidence-base

Author

Listed:
  • Candice Howarth

    (Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Sciences)

  • Sian Morse-Jones

    (Collingwood Environmental Planning)

  • Andrew Kythreotis

    (School of Geography and Lincoln Centre for Water and Planetary Health, University of Lincoln
    University of East Anglia
    Cardiff University)

  • Katya Brooks

    (University of Surrey)

  • Matt Lane

    (University of Edinburgh)

Abstract

International assessments of evidence on climate change (e.g. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) or national climate change risk assessments (e.g. UK Climate Change Risk Assessment, CCRA) do not offer a sufficiently granular perspective on climate impacts to adequately inform governance of resilience to climate risks at the local level. Using an analysis of UK decision-makers managing and responding to heatwaves and flood risks, this paper argues how more robust local evidence is needed to inform decision-making regarding adaptation options for enhancing local resilience. We identify evidence gaps and issues relating to local climate change impacts, including sources and quality of evidence used, adequacy and accessibility of evidence available, ill-communicated evidence and conflicting or misused evidence. A lack of appreciation regarding how scientific evidence and personal judgement can mutually enhance the quality of decision-making underpins all of these gaps. Additionally, we find that the majority of evidence currently used is reductively based upon socio-economic and physical characteristics of climate risks. We argue that a step change is needed in local climate resilience that moves beyond current physical and socio-economic risk characterisation to a more inclusive co-constitution of social and politically defined climate risks at the local scale that are better aligned with the local impacts felt and needs of stakeholders.

Suggested Citation

  • Candice Howarth & Sian Morse-Jones & Andrew Kythreotis & Katya Brooks & Matt Lane, 2020. "Informing UK governance of resilience to climate risks: improving the local evidence-base," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 499-520, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:163:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s10584-020-02821-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02821-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew P. Kythreotis & Gillian I. Bristow, 2017. "The ‘resilience trap’: exploring the practical utility of resilience for climate change adaptation in UK city-regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(10), pages 1530-1541, October.
    2. Francisco Estrada & W. J. Wouter Botzen & Richard S. J. Tol, 2017. "A global economic assessment of city policies to reduce climate change impacts," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 7(6), pages 403-406, June.
    3. Theodore G. Shepherd & Emily Boyd & Raphael A. Calel & Sandra C. Chapman & Suraje Dessai & Ioana M. Dima-West & Hayley J. Fowler & Rachel James & Douglas Maraun & Olivia Martius & Catherine A. Senior , 2018. "Storylines: an alternative approach to representing uncertainty in physical aspects of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 555-571, December.
    4. Marc Gramberger & Katharina Zellmer & Kasper Kok & Marc Metzger, 2015. "Stakeholder integrated research (STIR): a new approach tested in climate change adaptation research," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 201-214, February.
    5. Manuel Gottschick, 2015. "How stakeholders handle uncertainty in a local climate adaptation governance network," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 132(3), pages 445-457, October.
    6. Oliver Heidrich & Richard Dawson & Diana Reckien & Claire Walsh, 2013. "Assessment of the climate preparedness of 30 urban areas in the UK," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 120(4), pages 771-784, October.
    7. Howarth, Candice & Monasterolo, Irene, 2016. "Understanding barriers to decision making in the UK energy-food-water nexus: The added value of interdisciplinary approaches," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 53-60.
    8. Andrew P. Kythreotis & Andrew E. G. Jonas & Candice Howarth, 2020. "Locating climate adaptation in urban and regional studies," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 576-588, April.
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