The world’s climate is changing. Society and business worldwide must adapt. Climate changes will vary spatially and temporally, and the impacts will be sector specific. Tailored research is essential to identify the risks and and evaluate potential adaptations.
Assessing the potential impacts and evaluating adaptation options is the driver behind much of our research, consultancy and training. Most studies require a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing relevant expertise and resources together. The Cranfield Centre for Bioenergy and Resource Management provides a co-ordinating role for our staff and a central point-of-contact for our clients.
Cranfield's climate change research is centred on assessing the impacts of changes rather than developing the climate models. Our focus is on comparing how the real world will react to the changes forecast by different models and assumptions, what the main sensitivities and tipping points are, and how to determine and implement the best adaptation pathways in the face of the substantial uncertainty involved.
We undertake research for international funders, the UK research councils, the UK government, and other large organisations such as infrastructure utilities.
Working with us
Our research has significant real world impacts. Recent examples include supporting Defra during the Climate Change Risk Assessment and the Adaptation Reporting Power, the latter seeing Cranfield researchers engaging with over 100 key infrastructure operators, public bodies and regulators. These represent key elements of the Climate Change Act (2008) and have allowed Cranfield research to inform the National Adaptation Programme and future adaptation policy.
More widely, we have also provided climate risk expertise to a range of infrastructure utilities that has supported regulatory decisions on investment in adaptation, whilst recommendations from a recent MSc group project have directly informed the social media plan for a government agency providing adaptation advice to organisations.
Cranfield’s focus on business and real-world application is emphasised in the climate adaptation sector. We work with organisations to assess how they will be impacted by climate change, how this sits alongside their other risks and opportunities, and how best they should adapt.
We can work with organisations on a normal consultancy basis, though we prefer to build longer-term working relationships. There are also opportunities to leverage other funding for projects that can benefit larger sectors or the UK economy, and/or to utilise student research projects.
