Climate Change
IDS Climate Change Team carries out research and policy analysis on climate change and development. We also support and build networks, and offer teaching and training. We aim to contribute to reducing poverty and increasing social justice in a changing climate, and to help shape economic growth that is both sustainable and inclusive.
We particularly focus on how climate change affects poor people. We also look at how policies for adaptation and low-carbon development are shaped by economic and political power, and by the use of different types of knowledge by experts, donors, governments and poor people. We collaborate closely with other research teams and knowledge management experts across IDS, the University of Sussex and a strong network of partners in developing countries.
We work on three core research themes:
- Vulnerability and Resilience – Building adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies that contribute to eradicating poverty.
- Knowledge and Learning – Improving our understanding of whose voices and whose knowledge counts in climate policies.
- Low-carbon Development – Meeting the challenge of achieving sustainable economic growth.
Teaching, training and mentoring
IDS Climate Change team also offer teaching, training and mentoring on the practical and theoretical linkages between climate change and development. Our courses promote debate and the co-creation of knowledge on climate change so that development professionals can address climate change challenges in their fields of work.
We offer an MSc Climate Change and Development jointly with the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex and the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU). We also welcome applicants interested in pursuing climate research through the PhD programme and can provide tailor-made training packages for development professionals upon request.
For further information about our work, please contact Sarah Jack.
Key contacts
Team Members
AfricaAdapt
The Network facilitates the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations and communities who are vulnerable to climate variability and change across the continent. More details
BASIC
The BASIC Project is an action orientated research and capacity development project focusing on supporting the institutional capacity of key developing countries to undertake analytical work to determine what kind of national and international climate change actions best fit within their circumstances and priorities. More details
Children in a Changing Climate
IDS is working with leading research and development organisations to secure children and your people a voice in preventing and adapting to climate change – from their communities to the UN. More details
China Low Carbon Platform
A new knowledge-sharing web platform supporting an international network for low carbon energy and low carbon development in China. More details
Climate Airwaves
Climate Airwaves aims to support community radio broadcasters to transmit climate research to local communities in an easy-to-understand format. It also promotes sharing between different communities, local policymakers and researchers dealing with a changing climate. More details
Climate Planning
This project will consider a range of donor, private sector, NGO and country-led methodologies for climate compatible development strategy building and planning. More details
European Development Co-operation on climate change to 2020
The aim of this project is to synthesize and understand the evidence base on CC and EU development policy in key areas of CC and development programming and to map out possible future influences on these policy area More details
Learning Hub
A place for DFID staff to connect with and learn from fellow country office staff, DFID specialist advisers and technical experts as a basis for creating applied knowledge for dealing with the complexities of climate change in the development arena. More details
Linking African Researchers with Adaptation Policy Spaces
This project aims to increase the ability of CCAA programme partners in East Africa to understand climate change adaptation policy processes at local and national scales. More details
Strengthening Climate Resilience
Strengthening Climate Resilience has created the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach (CSDRM) for disaster risk managers, policy-makers and researchers. The CSDRM approach incorporates climate change resilience into the way we plan for, and respond to, natural disasters impacting vulnerable communities. More details
Understanding the Political Economy of Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Development
Despite the impasse at Copenhagen conference of the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC), significant sums of money will be made available under a post-Kyoto framework for climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. This project focuses on two global program initiatives, namely the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), administered by the World Bank through the Climate Investment Funds, and the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). More details
AfricaAdapt
The Network facilitates the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations and communities who are vulnerable to climate variability and change across the continent. More details
Children in a Changing Climate
IDS is working with leading research and development organisations to secure children and your people a voice in preventing and adapting to climate change – from their communities to the UN. More details
Climate Planning
This project will consider a range of donor, private sector, NGO and country-led methodologies for climate compatible development strategy building and planning. More details
European Development Co-operation on climate change to 2020
The aim of this project is to synthesize and understand the evidence base on CC and EU development policy in key areas of CC and development programming and to map out possible future influences on these policy area More details
Linking African Researchers with Adaptation Policy Spaces
This project aims to increase the ability of CCAA programme partners in East Africa to understand climate change adaptation policy processes at local and national scales. More details
Strengthening Climate Resilience
Strengthening Climate Resilience has created the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach (CSDRM) for disaster risk managers, policy-makers and researchers. The CSDRM approach incorporates climate change resilience into the way we plan for, and respond to, natural disasters impacting vulnerable communities. More details
AfricaAdapt
The Network facilitates the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations and communities who are vulnerable to climate variability and change across the continent. More details
Climate Airwaves
Climate Airwaves aims to support community radio broadcasters to transmit climate research to local communities in an easy-to-understand format. It also promotes sharing between different communities, local policymakers and researchers dealing with a changing climate. More details
Learning Hub
A place for DFID staff to connect with and learn from fellow country office staff, DFID specialist advisers and technical experts as a basis for creating applied knowledge for dealing with the complexities of climate change in the development arena. More details
Understanding the Political Economy of Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Development
Despite the impasse at Copenhagen conference of the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC), significant sums of money will be made available under a post-Kyoto framework for climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. This project focuses on two global program initiatives, namely the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), administered by the World Bank through the Climate Investment Funds, and the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). More details
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