Why is there an adaptation gap?

In common with many places in the world, the UK has been experiencing high temperatures over the last couple of years, and not a great deal of rain, reminding us of the need to adapt to the consequences of climate change. Our episode focuses on adaptation, and some of the reasons why policy and practice are lagging behind where we need them to be.

The Adapt Lock-in project has been working to understand this gap better, looking at experience in three countries – the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Our guests today have been working on this project over the last 3 years.

Tim Rayner is a Research Fellow in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia. Part of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, since 2006 he has participated in a range of European Union and national research council-funded projects covering climate change governance and policy, particularly from EU and UK perspectives.

Meghan Alexander is an Assistant Professor in Human Geography of climate change at the University of Nottingham. In particular, her work focuses on climate adaptation and aspects of governance, policy and risk management, and the corresponding implications for societal resilience, well-being and social justice.

The Adapt Lock-in project was supported by: the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek. It was funded under Open Research Area (Round 5) Grant Reference ES/S015264/1. Partners are University of East Anglia (UK); Open Universiteit, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (Germany)

Learn more on the project website: https://adaptlockin.eu/

(Music by BenSound)