Fight or Flight – Climate Stand or Climate Run!
Our climate is changing. How we live and where we live will have to change. How will we change? Project ‘Fight or Flight’ explores the issues around how we adapt to change.
What is the project about?
Europe has experienced extreme weather for centuries however things are changing. Storms are more extreme and more frequent. Rainfall patterns are changing with a greater intensity. All this with the possibility of rising sea levels.
Based around two specific meteorological issues, storm events and intense rainfall, which can lead to erosion and flooding, teams will asses the impact on people and where they live. They will develop solutions/scenarios around how the people of Europe might cope. Should they FIGHT or should they FLIGHT?
These climate changes, new to the people of Europe, will have environmental, social and economic impacts. We need to debate how we should cope, with two clear emotions on display; the need to protect a way of life for people living in these affected areas and the protection of the natural environment for the ecosystem services it provides. Both emotions have environmental, social and economic implications.
The challenge for our society is to change using the principles of sustainable development, taking heed of environmental, social and economic aspects. But how do we change?
The team will look at environmental, social and economic aspects of the problem, explore different possible scenarios and develop solution and decision making tools. Amongst other things, the project outcomes may include;
How to communicate the problem
Propose solutions to how we adapt
Design decision making tools for change
Study areas:
If you are interested in solutions for the future, want to help understand how society changes, why it changes and how we can influence change then this may be the project for you.
While students may have a specific study area, we aim to get a team that has one or more of the following elements. A dream team will have all three elements;
Environmental sciences who understand the mechanisms causing change on our environment.
Social sciences where participants recognise the impact slow or sudden changes have on society and our inherent response to these.
Business and finance where decisions were once made on economic models, now we must think about other factors such as people and the natural world.
Participants may have one or more of the elements. Alternatively they could have a background in an area that may be impacted by climate change such as farming, fishing or forestry.
Link:
If you have any questions about the project, please contact