Resilient Societies Research Centre

This proposal seeks to develop the foundation to establish a Research Institute on Disaster Resilient Societies (DRS) and a Research Centre on Climate Resilient Societies (CRS). In doing so, it will support successful research areas at the University to transition from Centre to Institute status, and growth of centres that have not met the expectations of a UOH Institute within an ASRI.
The proposal contributes to the university’s new ASRI on Sustainable Environment, committed to excellence in research and collaboration to improve the substantiality and resilience of nations and communities. It will directly support the university’s Environmental and Sustainability Policy and contribute to the university’s Climate Emergency Steering Group, thus paving the way for the university to fulfil its commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The proposal will support research activities that interact and integrate expertise around the development of more sustainable and resilient communities, which will develop critical mass and provide a focus for 4* strengths in all REF related areas (outputs / impact / environment).
The development of DRS and CRS is a national and international priority, as emphasised by its prominence as themes in the global frameworks (SDGs, Paris Climate Change Agreement, Sendai Framework for Action 2015-30 and New Urban Agenda) that have set out ambitious targets for disaster risk reduction running until 2030. Climate change is widely acknowledged as the single biggest challenge facing communities, at the local, national and global scale. Though developed countries produce most greenhouse gas emissions, it is developing nations that are predicted to suffer the most severe consequences, both in the built environment, as well as in the natural environment, through rapid onset disasters and through increased vulnerability resulting from more gradual environmental and ecological degradation. The current COVID-19 pandemic (categorised as a bio-hazard), the UK’s hosting of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in 2021, and frequent flooding in the Calderdale Valley, further illustrate the high relevance and timeliness of the challenges at different scales.
The university is fortunate to host research teams with expertise in both the built environment and the natural environment, at the local and international scale. These teams have already achieved recognition for their work, supporting high level working groups, influencing national policies, securing international action research grants, and working directly with communities. This proposal aims to build on these achievements, creating further opportunities to engage with stakeholders seeking to tackle climate change and its consequences. The proposal is divided into two work packages, one addressing the built and human environment, and the consequences of rapid onset disasters, the other addressing more gradual environmental, ecological and societal challenges by climate change.