Putting Social Vulnerability at the Heart of Adaptation

Bringing research into government: Dr Katie Jenkins on her British Academy Fellowship – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pexels)

Climate change does not affect everyone equally. Some communities face far greater risks from heatwaves and flooding because of factors like income, mobility, or access to support networks. Dr Katie Jenkins is now working inside government to make sure those differences shape official adaptation plans rather than remaining an afterthought.

Through a British Academy Innovation Fellowship, she has been seconded to the Government Office for Science for twelve months. Her goal is to strengthen the evidence on social vulnerability and help policy teams use it when deciding where and how to act.

From Academic Models to Real-World Decisions

Jenkins has spent fifteen years building models that track the social and economic fallout from heat and drought. She began at the University of East Anglia during the first year of its climate-change master’s programme and later joined the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Her work has always crossed disciplines, yet the move into government has sharpened her focus on what decision-makers actually need.

She is now embedded in the Climate, Energy and Environment team. Rather than launching new research projects, she is synthesising existing evidence and identifying gaps that matter for upcoming policies. The pace is faster than academia, with outputs expected to feed directly into government priorities.

Why Hazards Alone Are Not Enough

Most climate models highlight where hazards will strike and who lives in those areas. Far less attention has gone to the social conditions that turn exposure into harm. Jenkins is co-designing work that maps current and future vulnerability so adaptation measures can be tailored to the people most at risk.

Consider air conditioning in a city like London. Wealthier households install units and lower their own overheating risk. The extra heat expelled outside raises temperatures further for everyone, especially those who cannot afford cooling. Actions that appear protective can therefore widen inequalities if vulnerability is ignored.

Adaptation must therefore look beyond simple exposure maps. It needs to account for residents without cars during evacuations, people who rely on carers, or households in the most deprived neighbourhoods. Without that layer, well-intentioned policies can leave the most vulnerable worse off.

Building Practical Tools from Existing Evidence

Before the fellowship, Jenkins created the UK’s first Adaptation Inventory. The searchable database records real examples of household and sector-level actions already underway, from slope stabilisation to tree planting along riverbanks. Interest now centres on evaluating whether these measures deliver the intended benefits and what additional social gains they produce.

She is exploring ways to capture co-benefits such as improved biodiversity, better mental health from greener spaces, and stronger community resilience. Linking these outcomes to vulnerability data could help government design incentives that reward actions with the widest social return.

What Changes When Research Meets Policy

The shift from academic freedom to policy constraints has already altered how Jenkins thinks about her own research. She now weighs evidence against immediate policy windows and considers who will use the findings. The civil service environment is described as efficient and fast-paced, with teams juggling diverse projects across multiple methods.

She plans to carry these lessons back to the Tyndall Centre, particularly around pitching ideas clearly for policymakers and writing outputs that fit government timelines. The fellowship ends in twelve months, yet the connections formed are expected to continue shaping how social science informs adaptation decisions.