ARCC news for December 2015
ARCC network news
Opportunity for Early career researchers – skills development workshop, enhancing pathways to impact
20–21 January 2016, Oxford
Identifying the potential impact of research and understanding how to achieve this impact are key skills needed by researchers when developing proposals. Early career researchers (ECRs) are invited to this workshop focusing on improving the skills needed to plan and develop pathways to impact. With input from EPSRC and other experts, this will be an opportunity to learn about the approaches and qualities that help demonstrate potential impact.
This event is for ECRs working on EPSRC-funded projects with a focus on adaptation and resilience in the built environment and infrastructure sectors. There is no charge for participating, but registration is essential and places are limited to 25.
New report investigating SME resilience to flooding
Flood events cause considerable disruption to the business sector, especially to small- and medium-sized enterprises. This new study from the University of Salford focuses on the effect of recent flooding in Braunton, North Devon (pdf, 4 MB). Seven case studies capture the experiences of local SMEs in coping with flood events and highlight lessons that can be learned on improving preparedness for future flooding.
Workshop: Delivering energy in a changing climate – latest evidence available
A recent ARCC network briefing for UK decision-makers in the energy and infrastructure sectors presented the latest evidence on the impacts of climate change on energy generation, infrastructure and demand, and potential adaptation options. Discussions explored climate-associated risks across different energy-related sectors, and the methods, tools and solutions that could be used to tackle these risks.
Key messages (pdf, 1.5 MB) from across the suite of research projects (Adaptation and Resilience of Coastal Energy Supply (ARCoES), Adaptation and Resilience in Energy Systems (ARIES) and Resilient Electricity Networks for Great Britain (RESNET) and presentations from the briefing are now available.
Project news
Resilient health, care and wellbeing in a changing climate workshop: lessons from research and local practice
13 January 2016, London
The Built Infrastructure for Older People’s Care in Conditions of Climate Change research project (BIOPICCC, 2009–2012) worked with stakeholders to develop a toolkit to assist local authorities, partner organisations and community groups with local level resilience planning. This follow-up event, hosted by Durham University, Catherine Max and Climate UK, will share learning from local authority teams who have developed new approaches to planning and delivering resilient services that reflect local characteristics and needs. There will also be an opportunity to contribute to the co-design of a refreshed toolkit to better reflect user needs.
The event will be of interest to public health, social care and environment teams in local authorities, community sector organisations, local resilience fora and local health resilience partnerships. Further information and registration is available from the London Climate Change Partnership website.
LGiU Blog: Viewpoint: Adaptation the key to community resilience – lessons from research and local practice
Catherine Max reports on the impact of the BIOPICCC research project.
Other news
Cumbrian floods: unprecedented but predictable
Amongst the many articles on the devastating floods in Cumbria, an interesting story from The Independent reminds the reader that bouts of unusually heavy rainfall have been a known likely impact of climate change for some time – what is less well known is exactly how heavy those storms could be.
Meanwhile, there is much talk of a ‘one in a hundred year event’, and what that really means. In The Conversation, Under water again – when will Britain learn how to manage floods?highlights the common misconception around the term and suggests an alternative. The article goes on to explain how vital trees are in controlling run-off and sediment transport from hillsides and river banks.
Communicating flood risk to the public
The Environment Agency recently released a report on lessons they have learned about communicating risk to the general public. A series of community workshops highlighted the need to keep the messages simple and accessible, and that people are confused by probabilities or percentages – mostly they just want to know if they will be flooded or not, and how to deal with the situation. The full report is available from the Sciencewise website.
The COP21 Paris climate agreement – at a glance
There seems to be a consensus that the outcome of the Paris climate conference was overwhelmingly positive, but that there is a great deal to be done to realise its full impact. In amongst the huge amount of detail, we’ve found some convenient summaries of the agreement:
- The Conversation: The Paris climate agreement at a glance
- World Resources Institute: The Paris agreement: turning point for a climate solution
- Carbon Brief: Interactive: the negotiating alliances at the Paris climate conference
Critics have commented that the agreed deal is not as strong as they would have liked, but in an interesting article in The Conversation, academics suggest that a ‘softer’ option is more likely to yield positive results.
ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures
A total of 24.5 M€ of funding will be available for JPI Urban Europe’s fourth call, the ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures, supported by the EC under the Horizon 2020 programme. The three themes are:
- Concepts and strategies for smart urban transformation, growth and shrinkage
- New dynamics of public services
- Inclusive, vibrant and accessible urban communities
Pre-proposal deadline: mid-March 2016.
In brief
Planning for infrastructure research project response
An interim response to the Scottish Government’s planning for infrastructure research recommendations.
OpenARCC moves to a new home
The content of the OpenARCC blog for data and publication guidance has been incorporated into the main ARCC website – many thanks to those of you who contributed to the project.
Tweeted…
Interesting responsive building façade shading in Abu Dhabi – many potential uses @archdaily | http://bit.ly/1m3rP9I
For you maths geeks out there, what you need to know about the twelve days of Christmas @MathsCareers @CliMathNet | http://bit.ly/1J6rDvE
London may have to go all electric to keep cool @WSP_PB_UK via @globalconreview | http://bit.ly/1lYWAgb
Presentations & great graphic from first #FeelGoodSpaces event @inkythinking @FGFwellbeing | http://bit.ly/1T6RdpH
Drainage dreams only achieved through practical solutions #SuDS – @hydro_alex @engnaturesway @Sudsulike | http://bit.ly/1HoZDs3
Data collection tool for urban forests estimates ecosystems services @iTreeTools | http://bit.ly/1OS53y5
Mental health as the Cinderella of urban design – let’s take her to the ball @urbandesignmh #FeelGoodSpaces | http://bit.ly/1Sf4xs3