Sign in Subscribe
Global warming

Climate Change Adaptation: New Research on Knowledge Diversity and Governance

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction highlights the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge integration in addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change in urban environments. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Autonomous University Barcelona, presents a novel methodology that integrates a mental models approach with the social-ecological-technological systems (SETS) framework to assess and compare the perceptions of individual stakeholders on the impacts of extreme weather events on an urban system.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study emphasizes the critical aspect of risk mitigation and governance in urban climate change adaptation, particularly in the face of intensifying extreme weather events.
  • The research identifies the need for a more holistic and inclusive co-production process to address the challenges of climate change in urban environments.
  • The proposed methodology integrates a mental models approach with the SETS framework to assess and compare the perceptions of individual stakeholders on the impacts of extreme weather events.
  • The study reveals significant variability in how stakeholders emphasize SETS domains and interactions, highlighting knowledge gaps and dominant knowledge framings.
  • The research concludes that supporting more inclusive co-production processes can provide a theoretical and empirical foundation for addressing climate change in urban environments.
  • The study was funded by the Doctoral INPhINIT-INCOMING program, La Caixa Foundation, and other institutions, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the European Fund Social Plus.
  • The research team included Pablo Herreros-Cantis, Svetlana Khromova, Johannes Langemeyer, Marta Olazabal, Marc B. Neumann, and Timon McPhearson.

Statistics:

  • 20 expert stakeholders from diverse disciplines and sectors were engaged in the study.
  • The research was published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
  • The study focused on New York City, which is a major urban environment facing climate change challenges.
  • According to the research, stakeholders emphasized SETS domains and interactions differently, resulting in significant variability.
  • The study highlights the importance of addressing knowledge diversity to improve risk governance processes.

Sources:

  • NewsRx LLC, "New Findings in Climate Change Described from Autonomous University Barcelona" [Knowledge Diversity for Climate Change Adaptation: a Social-ecological-technological Systems (Sets) Approach To Mental Models]. Global Warming Focus. June 16, 2025; p 593.
  • International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, "Knowledge Diversity for Climate Change Adaptation: a Social-ecological-technological Systems (Sets) Approach To Mental Models." 2025;124.

Read more