Empowering “at-risk” communities to tackle climate risks: Leslie Mabon’s Knowledge Frontiers research
How can cities protect their most vulnerable residents from the rising risks of climate change? Through the British Academy Knowledge Frontiers scheme, Dr Leslie Mabon has been working with communities in the UK and Taiwan to co-create nature-based solutions, empower local voices, and drive meaningful climate action.
Helping vulnerable communites through research
As climate change accelerates, its effects are not felt equally across the globe. Dr Leslie Mabon, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Systems, leads pioneering research into how rising temperatures and extreme weather events affect coastal, island, and urban communities, from Scotland’s shores to cities in East and Southeast Asia.
With the support of the British Academy’s Knowledge Frontiers 2022 scheme, Dr Mabon's work moves beyond identifying environmental threats to understanding who is most vulnerable. His research shows that factors such as age, income, ethnicity, class, and gender all influence how severely people experience climate impacts, particularly as cities grow hotter.
Guided by a deep sense of purpose and collaboration, Dr Mabon’s work puts communities at its centre. His team works with communities living in at-risk neighbourhoods, learning how best to develop responses to extreme heat. Urban nature, including parks, trees and green spaces, emerge as a vital tool in reducing risk, but it is the communities themselves who shape how these solutions are used.
This research isn’t just theoretical. We’ve worked closely with urban planners, local governments, and environmental organisations to ensure that our findings lead to real-world changes. We trained local residents as community researchers who helped us collect data and shape recommendations.
The funding also allowed us to compensate local residents for their time, ensuring that those most affected by climate change had a voice in the research.
Alongside creating practical strategies for local action, Dr Mabon’s research also empowers communities to advocate for wider change. By supporting residents to engage with local and national governments, the project aims to strengthen their ability to demand fair and lasting support for climate resilience.
The Knowledge Frontiers funding was critical to realising this vision. It enabled Dr Mabon to conduct comparative research across the United Kingdom and Taiwan, and to build strong partnerships with academic collaborators, environmental organisations and neighbourhood groups, offering diverse perspectives on how societies can meet the challenges of a changing climate.
Through his work, Dr Leslie Mabon demonstrates the power of knowledge to inspire action, build resilience, and promote equity in the face of global environmental change. His research is a compelling example of how, with the right support, new ideas and community collaboration can shape a better future for all.
Find out more about the British Academy’s Knowledge Frontiers scheme in the funding section of the website.
Programme: Just Transitions to Decarbonisation in the Asia-Pacific 2021, Knowledge Frontiers 2022
Project title: 'Urban nature for heat-resilient green neighbourhoods'
Award amount: £70,008, £174,306
Name of institution: Open University