Hutton researcher awarded fellowship to study place-based climate action

Dr Alice Hague

"North East Scotland is a really interesting area to study place-based climate action"

Dr Alice Hague, a social scientist based at the James Hutton Institute’s Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences department in Aberdeen, has been awarded a fellowship by the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) to study climate action in North East Scotland communities, focussing on areas where urban and rural meet.

PCAN is a network supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) that focuses on the translation of climate policy into concrete, ‘on the ground’ community actions.

During her Fellowship, Dr Hague will look at how local councils in the North East act as a nexus in engaging employers, businesses, communities and third sector organisations in climate adaptation, and seek to understand the opportunities and barriers for place-based climate adaptation.

Alice said: "The north-east of Scotland is a really interesting area to study  place-based climate action: the oil and gas sector is a major employer, yet much of the region is rural and agricultural, and recent flooding events mean that residents are acutely aware of the effects of climate change.” 

Dr Hague’s research plan features important contributions from Climate Ready Aberdeenshire, a recently established climate adaptation and resilience initiative hosted by Aberdeenshire Council that brings together the views and expertise of stakeholders from communities, public, private and third sector organisations to create Aberdeenshire’s climate adaptation strategy.

Place-based social research is a significant strand of work at the James Hutton Institute. Previous research projects have looked at place-based policy in Scotland, and the use of interactive maps to understand local community action.

The second round of the PCAN Fund has seen place-based research projects across the UK being awarded a total of £160K, with more than 150 expressions of interest received for the funding call. For more details see the PCAN press release.