Understanding Uncertainty to Reduce Climate Risks (UNRISK)

UNRISK is a consortium of the University of Leeds, University College London, the University of Exeter and 40 non-HEI partners. UNRISK will train 41 students with the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills across climate science, data science and decision science to tackle the pressing challenge of reducing the risks associated with rapid climate change. Students will undertake research to improve our understanding of uncertainty in climate projections and impacts to inform decisions and decision-making tools, thereby reducing the rapidly increasing societal and economic risks associated with climate change on local, national and global scales. UNRISK will deliver highly qualified graduates to help make the UK a leader in the rapidly growing climate services sector – graduates capable of providing data, information and expertise to help individuals and organisations make appropriate decisions about how to manage and adapt to the risks of climate change. UNRISK is vital because of the large uncertainty and low confidence in projections of climate change and associated hazards such as extreme storms, urban heat waves, sea-level rise, and declining crop yields. Uncertainty is a major barrier to climate policy development and has an estimated global economic cost of trillions of dollars by delaying investment decisions, weakening multi-lateral agreements, and reducing uptake of climate services. The holistic training programme combines climate science, data science and decision science to address identified skills gaps in the climate services sector. Skills will include understanding and quantifying uncertainty in models and observational data (relevant to operational centres), propagation of uncertainty through to risk assessments, uncertainty in decision systems and tools (consultancies, public and regulatory bodies, consultancies, financial organisations), and two-way risk communication and visualisation with users (e.g., policy makers and humanitarian organisations). The research and training programme has been co-developed with 40 partner organisations offering 43 CASE collaborations and a direct plus in-kind contribution of £1.6M. Partners will contribute to the UNRISK core training programme through lectures and workshops covering climate datasets, methods of risk assessment in industry, measurement uncertainty, and the decision-making process. Partners will also co-develop and lead annual Challenge Weeks where students will apply their knowledge and skills to solve partner-related challenges proceeding from raw data through to policy decisions. UNRISK takes an equitable approach through open and continuously updated Areas of Research Challenge that will identify, at an early stage, the highest priority research and training needs to fill evidence gaps and meet the evolving requirements of the climate services sector. The success of UNRISK will be measured by the placement of students across key sectors, graduates pursuing careers in climate services, uptake of the research outcomes and tools, development of thought leadership, and scientific diversity in the research collaborations. We will ensure the legacy of UNRISK by integrating it into the existing Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, with established structures for continued engagement and business development, enabling our ambition to create a professional community of practice in climate services. In all aspects of the programme, UNRISK will set the highest standards of a positive and inclusive research culture. Key aspects include strong peer interaction through team-based learning and highly interactive Challenge Weeks, cohort programmes that acknowledge the value of host-university interactions, training that accounts for multiple levels of student preparedness, mentor schemes, and tailored support schemes to enable equitable access to our training programmes.