Brunel climate expert Dr Shona Paterson has helped write a new report calling for people’s needs to shape how the UK prepares for extreme weather.
After the driest July on record and with the Met Office flagging chance of a sixth summer heatwave, official heat-health alerts may feel like the norm.
And Britain still risks being caught out by such weather extremes, experts warn because too many climate plans ignore how people really live.
Climate resilience is about more than technical fixes and improving infrastructure, stresses a new Government backed report. It is about people - the pensioner trapped in a stifling flat, the worker trying to sleep during a hot night and the parent with nowhere to take their child to cool down.
People must be at the heart of the UK climate planning, urges the report from research network, ACCESS (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science) and the Government Office for Science.
Climate change has a ripple effect across people’s lives — their health, what food costs and availability, job security and community safety, said Brunel Climate Adaptation Specialist Dr Shona Paterson, who helped write the report.
“People-centred adaptation means developing policies and practises using a deeper understanding of people’s views and needs, while recognising existing risks and vulnerabilities. This means recognising that adaptation is an ongoing process and not an endpoint. We need to adjust and respond to both changing climates and changes in societies.”
Well-meaning technical solutions can fail if they overlook the people they are designed to protect, the report cautions. Measures that appear effective on paper may prove too costly for some communities, fail to win public support, or simply not fit the realities of everyday life.
“When assessing climate risk and possible actions to take, we really need to explore who is at risk, who is vulnerable and who requires additional support to reduce risk and improve resilience," said Dr Paterson, Director of the Centre for Global Lives
“A people-centred approach also allows us to look at interconnectedness and complexity that surrounds us as people and how we make decisions.”
While risks from heat, flooding and water shortages are growing, badly designed plans can make things worse for the people they are meant to help. A heat warning is little use if someone has nowhere cool to go. Flood advice will not help if people can’t afford protection. Even the best plans can fail if people don’t understand or get behind them. That means looking at how people behave, what they fear, what support they need and what gets in the way.
What you can do
- Read the new Heat Ready London Plan that sets out a shared vision for city-wide heat resilience
- Check out Shade the UK's practical guidance on staying safe at home and work
- Find your nearest GLA cool space to shelter and cool down