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The Climate Action Unit is a group of experts in neuroscience, science communication and facilitation.
The people
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What we do
To understand our methods in more detail, visit our 'how we work' page.
Our origins
The Climate Action Unit was born out of UCL's Communicating Climate Science Policy Commission - an initiative hosted by UCL Public Policy.
The Commission was an interdisciplinary body comprised of experts from academia, policy, environment, business, media and the arts established in 2012. The Commission examined the challenges faced in communicating climate science effectively to policymakers and the public, and the role of climate scientists in communication.
In the years since the Commission formed, its members began jointly delivering projects to address blockages to effective communication. By combining the diverse set of skills and insights held by these individuals, the group targeted their efforts into three key areas: climate action, climate risk and climate stories. These are the founding workstreams of the Climate Action Unit.
To find out more about the Commission, including its membership and outputs, please see the links below:
- Dr Kris De Meyer
Kris is the Director of the UCL Climate Action Unit (CAU) and is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at UCL. He is a neuroscientist, science communicator and science-policy co-production expert; bringing insights from neuroscience and psychology to the domain of climate change.
Kris specialises in how people become entrenched in their beliefs, how this leads to polarisation in society, and how to overcome this. He co-produced Right Between Your Ears - an award-winning documentary exploring how people become entrenched in their views, and co-created The Justice Syndicate, a participatory play about how we disagree.
At the CAU, Kris is responsible for the neuroscientific underpinning of the programme of interventions provided. Kris works closely with clients providing unique expertise on how the human brain responds to climate change.- Dr Lucy Hubble-Rose
Lucy is the Deputy Director of the UCL Climate Action Unit (CAU) and is a Research Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at UCL. Lucy is an expert facilitator specialised in helping people & organisations to unpick the knotty problems associated with planning and delivering action on climate change.
Following a PhD in climate change engagement from the University of Exeter and a Masters in Climate Change from the University of East Anglia, Lucy became fascinated by the challenges of making change happen. This led Lucy to co-run a creative design practice which specialised in connecting expert and non-expert audiences.
At the CAU Lucy is the lead on designing interventions to help clients take action on climate change, delivering detailed end-to-end designs for workshops with clear objectives and outcomes. Lucy also shapes the organisation’s internal strategy and provides leadership to other team members.- Freya Roberts
Freya is the Unit's Project Manager, overseeing the wide portfolio of projects the team delivers while also facilitating the efficient internal operations of the UCL Climate Action Unit (CAU).
Following a BSc in Environmental Sciences at the University of Southampton, Freya went on to explore a range of roles in the climate sector including urban greening at the Greater London Authority, freelance environmental research for non-profits, and science journalism at the website Carbon Brief. Freya joined UCL in 2016 in a research support role and became part of the Climate Action Unit in 2020. In 2021 she completed a climate change risk communications fellowship for COP26.
At the CAU Freya is responsible for core operations, communications, website, writing publications, events, portfolio management and project delivery. Her role straddles traditional divides between academic and professional services.- Prof. Chris Rapley CBE
Chris is an experienced Climate Scientist, Institute Director, and Science Communicator in the Department of Earth Sciences at University College London. He is also the Chairperson of the Climate Action Unit; providing an essential steering role and years of valuable insights from the climate sector.
Following early career interests in space sciences, Chris spent several decades leading major scientific research institutions - including the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the British Antarctic Survey, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and the Science Museum. He returned to UCL to work on delivering scientific value to society by connecting climate scientists with decision makers. Chris chairs the UCL Policy Commission on Communicating Climate Science and plays an active role in science communication, working with the theatre sector and TV broadcasters.- Annie Risner
Annie is the Project Assistant at the UCL Climate Action Unit and works across the full portfolio of projects run, as well as supporting internal operations like web support, event planning and data analysis.
Annie joined the Unit in October 2022, and has recently completed an MSc Climate Change at UCL. Her interests focus on the intersection between climate policy and science. She is interested in the power of storytelling and projects that look at broadening the current narratives in use.Annie has a wide range of project assistance experience spanning from projects in migration and community resilience to cross-cultural theatre and circus.
- Daniel Jonusas
Daniel is a Facilitator and Design Assistant at the UCL Climate Action Unit, helping to design and implement interventions across a wide range of projects.
With a background in the performing arts, Daniel first engaged with climate action as a theatre director and performer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Fascinated by the struggle to tell stories about climate change which inspire action, he completed an MSc in the science and policy of climate change at King’s College London. He used his thesis to investigate the potential for climate change communication to engage with the psychology of social learning and behavioural self-persuasion.
At the CAU, Daniel is responsible for conducting research, designing interventions, facilitating workshop groups and analysing project data.
- Jonathan Mille
Jonathan is a Research Fellow in Climate Engagement at the UCL Climate Action Unit, working to deliver capacity-building training programmes across Europe. Jonathan's research backround spans the fields of systemic risk, natural hazards, vulnerability and resilience, particularly in the context of climate change and the global energy transition.
Alongside his work at the Climate Action Unit, Jonathan is also a science communicator; teaching students about climate change & risk-related topics at UCL and the London School of Economics. Outside of these roles he is also an advisor on the development of the documentary series "Into the Rewild".
- Peter Gingold
Peter is a Founding Associate of the Climate Action Unit whose expertise is engaging with businesses and the arts on climate change.
Following a varied career in business, overseas development, management consulting and the arts, Peter has devoted the last 20 years to concern about climate change. He spent over 10 years running TippingPoint, a pioneering organisation bringing people from the worlds of climate research and the arts together across the globe. Among other things, Peter is currently leading the Time and Tide Bell project which highlights sea level rise around the UK coastline.- Andrew Jackson
Andrew is a Founding Associate of the Climate Action Unit. He is a ‘systems thinker’ who designs and facilitates interventions which help individuals, teams and organisations to develop.
Andrew’s involvement in climate change began in his undergraduate degree, and continues though his career. As a management consultant, he co-founded IBM’s Climate Change Centre of Expertise and worked with clients on climate-related strategies. Back in 2008, he was involved in presenting corporate initiatives to COP14 in Poland. Andrew now runs ProReal, a technology company combining digital communication with the psychology of personal development.
Andrew’s role in the CAU is to build interest in, and support the delivery of, the Unit's programmes. Andrew has a gift for creating environments that enable participant collaborations to thrive.
