Mark Pelling and Lauren Andres Awarded Climate Crisis Funding for Democratic Adaptation Project

Congratulations to Mark Pelling, Professor of Risk and Disaster Reduction, and Lauren Andres, Professor of Planning and Urban Transformations (The Bartlett School of Planning), who have secured £74,545.71 through UCL's Grand Challenge of Climate Crisis Pump-Priming initiative to support cross-disciplinary research in three strategic areas for the climate crisis.

The two-year project, titled 'CADENCE: Consequences of Adaptation for DEmocratic AdvaNCE', will investigate how strategies for climate adaptation influence democratic processes and address the intersection of climate governance and democracy.

CADENCE will examine whether climate adaptation measures can reinforce democratic practices and institutions, thereby enhancing both climate resilience and democratic accountability.

The research aligns with the growing recognition that effective climate adaptation requires transparency, accountability, and inclusivity—key aspects of environmental democracy. The project aims to generate insights that inform future policies and programmes in climate adaptation and democratic governance.

Coordinated by the Department for Risk and Disaster Reduction, CADENCE will engage expertise from four UCL faculties—Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Engineering, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, and Social and Historical Sciences (SHS)—and collaborate with Leeds Beckett University. Together, the research team will integrate perspectives from climate adaptation, political theory, local democratic practices, urban planning policy, engineering, and climate impact science.

This funding is part of UCL’s wider investment to support interdisciplinary climate research, addressing urgent challenges in climate governance, food security, and sustainable aviation.

More information

• View Prof Mark Pelling's UCL Profile
• View Prof Lauren Andres' UCL Profile
• Find out more about Mark Pelling's project, Tomorrow's Cities
• Learn more about UCL Grand Challenges

Image: Jonas on Unsplash