Research and analysis

Use of research in climate change adaptation: participatory research: summary

Published 15 March 2024

Applies to England

1. Chief Scientist’s Group report summary

This project identified different approaches to knowledge exchange and development and explored how they could be used to aid and inform climate change adaptation measures. The project experimented with these methods in the context of the Environment Agency through a case study approach.

1.1 Background

To support rapid adaptive measures, decision makers and practitioners require timely, tailored information and knowledge.

Knowledge about climate change to inform adaptive action has historically been generated by scientists and typically shared with users in a linear, unidirectional manner. However, the use of different approaches to knowledge exchange and development and the integration of different knowledge types (e.g. lay knowledge, knowledge held by practitioners) into research may produce more useful and useable climate services and climate-related data, information and knowledge and thus support decision making at pace.

1.2 Approach

Co-production is the exchange and integration of existing knowledge or the generation of novel knowledge resulting from the interaction of multiple knowledge holders (e.g., scientists, policymakers, practitioners). This project brought together a group of external facilitators, a Working Group of scientists and practitioners from the Environment Agency (the ‘participants’), and an embedded researcher placed at the Environment Agency who mediated the relationships within and between these two groups. The aim was to share and co-produce knowledge that would inform the adaptation of the Environment Agency’s Incident Management Service to climate change.

The participatory research process was conducted over an eight-month period and comprised diverse online activities including individual reflexive exercises, informal café-style conversations in pairs, facilitated workshops with all participants, and self-led brainstorming activities. Elements of power sharing, an important principle of co-production, were incorporated, with participants encouraged to take ownership of the participatory research process.

1.3 Results

The project found that taking a participatory approach improved understanding of research needs and was helpful in refining research questions. Participants were positive about their experience of taking part in the research project and valued the opportunity to work with and learn from staff from across the organisation. Discussions between Working Group members coalesced around several themes, including the nature and impact of incidents, resilience, and barriers to adaptation. Participants identified knowledge gaps and ideas for future research, which focussed on the questions of ‘What does the future look like?’ and ‘What are we resilient to now?’.

Actions which may help enable adaptation were also identified by participants, including embedding knowledge developed from the participatory research programme in ongoing projects addressing the future of the Incident Management Service and including members of the Working Group in adaptation advisory groups.

1.4 Conclusions

This project highlighted the value of co-production research and the importance of embedding reflection and evaluation throughout the research process. Insight was also gained about when participatory research approaches, and specifically outcome-oriented versus process-oriented participatory research, is most appropriate, and what conditions need to be in place for co-production to be sustained.

More practical lessons were learnt about how to best select and recruit participants and cope with staff turnover during the process, and how to keep participants engaged throughout.

1.5 Publication details

This summary relates to information from project SC22019, reported in detail in the following output(s):

• Report: SC22019/R
• Title: Use of research in climate change adaptation: participatory research
• March 2024
• Project manager: Laura Hunt, Climate Change & Resource Efficiency, Chief Scientist’s Group

This project was commissioned by the Environment Agency’s Chief Scientist’s Group, which provides scientific knowledge, tools and techniques to enable us to protect and manage the environment as effectively as possible.

Enquiries: research@environment-agency.gov.uk.

© Environment Agency