Regional sense-making of the first UK public dialogue on climate change adaptation

Rachel Harcourt 

School of Eath and Environment, Faculty of Environment 

Relevant ESRC Discipline:  Environmental Planning 

The UK is increasingly experiencing climate change impacts, including flooding and heatwaves. Adapting can reduce the harm caused. Much adaptation will happen locally in response to unique combinations of impacts, people and places, and will involve complex decision making such as what level of risk is acceptable, what level of adaptation effort is acceptable, and what adaptation options are preferable. In spring 2022, 112 members of the public took part in the first ever national dialogue to debate these issues and to consider what an England well adapted to climate change would look like. The applicant will share these findings with local adaptation policy makers and practitioners in the regions where the dialogues took place. In a series of workshops, participants will be asked to reflect on the new insights provided by the dialogue, to consider how these findings might be used to further develop and accelerate regional adaptation, and to identify areas of priority for further dialogue. Successfully adapting to climate change will be a whole of society effort and bring whole of society benefits. This work will help further build understanding and ambition as to how that can be delivered locally, with anticipated impacts on policy and practice.