Learn about our NERC-funded project developing methodologies for community led adaptation to climate change

Empowering community-led adaptation to systemic risks from climate change

Increasing impacts from climate change instigate the need for better adaptation planning. Most initiatives focus on adaptation actions by government or businesses, despite growing calls for communities on the frontline of climate change to be involved in choosing their own adaptive strategies.

In this study, critically appraise a pilot process using participatory systems mapping to: 1) identify diverse threat vectors for local climate change impacts, 2) identify context-relevant interventions to protect citizens, their households and communities, while, 3) considering synergies and trade-offs with other socially-desirable outcomes.

The process was trialed in three different regions: the lower Volta Basin in Ghana, the Assam region in India, and Southern England.

From participants’ perspectives, the process increased awareness of- and preparedness for- climate change impacts and raised important learning points for upscaling community-led adaptation approaches. These included understanding multiple outcomes of interventions, barriers and enablers to implementation, and sensitivity of co-design to regional geography and socio-cultural context.

Three country reports available for download here