Adaptation and Resilience Task Force

The Adaptation and Resilience Task Force (ACCESS Task Force 3) runs from September 2025 to September 2026. 

AIM

To increase the consideration and use of social science evidence, insights, language, frames and data by policy makers for adaptation and resilience in respect to behavioural and societal responses, to natural hazards, disasters and climate change.

OBJECTIVE

For policy makers to more effectively apply social science approaches and insights to accelerate and improve adaptation and resilience to natural hazards, disasters and climate change, by, with, and for individuals and communities in the UK.

We propose to achieve this by:

• making existing evidence from the social sciences more accessible to policy makers

• bridging the gap between existing social science evidence and its application in policy

• building a better understanding on how individuals, communities and institutions perceive and adapt to chronic, acute, and compound hazards
• strengthening policy practice enabling it to be more inclusive and evidence based

THE TASK FORCE

Task Force includes both academic and government social scientists with extensive subject knowledge and experience of working across the science-policy interface:

• Patrick Devine-Wright, University of Exeter
• Ashley Diggins, Defra
• Jens Evans, Environment Agency
• Steve Guilbert, University of Exeter
• Anika Haque, University of York
• Tim Harries, Department for Transport
• Carrie Heitmeyer, Government Office for Science

• Candice Howarth, Visiting Professor in Practice, Grantham Research on Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics
• Irene Lorenzoni, University of East Anglia (taskforce co-chair)
• Shona Paterson, University of Brunel
• Helen Roberts, Met Office
• Clare Saunders, University of Exeter
• Rory Walshe, Government Office for Science (taskforce co-chair)

For more information on the Adaptation and Resilience Task Force, please contact:

Rory Walshe – Rory.Walshe@Go-Science.gov.uk

Irene Lorenzoni – i.lorenzoni@uea.ac.uk

Steven Guilbert – s.guilbert3@exeter.ac.uk