Under this section of the hub you can find a diverse set of resources about Healthy Adaptations to inform your research or practice and learn about global interventions, their successes and challenges.
Resources take a range of different forms including research papers, policy briefs, reports, case studies, videos, and podcasts.
This video explores the economic, social, and health impacts of planned relocation for communities in Ghana. It showcases the need for early and equitable inclusion of individuals and communities in the adaptation planning process.
Date: 13/03/26
A clear, accessible summary of how climate change affects health, safety, place, self, and belonging — and why it matters for well-being and fair, inclusive adaptation.
Date: 14/10/25
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Clarke et al., highlight the importance of incorporating place-based identities into adaptation planning and consultation for wellbeing outcomes and the wider sustainability of interventions.
Date: 09/07/26
Koslov et al. (2021) draw attention to instances where supported relocation can be beneficial. Their study on the impact of buyout schemes on the mental health of people affected by Hurricane Sandy shows that rebuilding can lead to higher levels of stress compared to those who were financially supported to move elsewhere. Importantly, they show how the type of support offered and the process of relocation has implications for the success of these adaptation strategies. Leadership, co-management and participatory processes in relocation projects have also been demonstrated to matter for broader community resilience in new settlements. For example, work by Jamshed et al. (2018) in Pakistan following the extensive floods of 2010 show that NGO led relocation resulted in better community outcomes compared to plans led by government agencies. Ajibade et al.’s (2022) review of managed retreat programmes emphasises that plans based on equity and justice predict better outcomes for relocated populations than those based on efficiency based metrics.
Date: 09/07/26
A review of literature incorporating public participation and citizen engagement in climate change adaptation since 1992 reveals lexical, temporal, and spatial distribution dynamics of research on the topic.
Date: 09/07/26
We review global community-led examples of adaptation to climate-related extremes of weather. We find that communities around the world are adapting to weather extremes and providing support. However, the academic evidence is patchy and neither focuses on community leadership or all or compounding weather extremes that characterise the climate crisis. These two under explored areas are focuses of our ongoing project. .
Date: 09/07/26
We look into how three cases of community-led adaptation to extremes of weather are responding to climate impacts. Each community-led organisation faces challenging funding scarcity but still provide their surrounding communities distinct health and well being benefits. We argue this is not an excuse to do more with less but a undesirable and unnecessary limit on the work these cases do to help communities adapt to the climate crisis.
Date: 09/07/26
This video explores the economic, social, and health impacts of planned relocation for communities in Ghana. It showcases the need for early and equitable inclusion of individuals and communities in the adaptation planning process.
Date: 13/03/26
A clear, accessible summary of how climate change affects health, safety, place, self, and belonging — and why it matters for well-being and fair, inclusive adaptation.
Date: 14/10/25
Climate adaptation must go beyond technical fixes to address human well-being. Co-designed, context-specific strategies that integrate psychosocial factors are needed to build truly resilient and equitable futures.
Date: 06/05/25
Planned relocation as an adaptation to climate change can unintentionally undermine the very well-being it aims to protect. Using a case study in Ghana, this report highlights the need for inclusive planning, livelihood restoration, and ongoing support to safeguard physical safety and mental health.
Date: 06/05/25
Looking across different forms of adaptation to floods, we use existing literature to develop a typology of key domains of impact arising from interventions that are likely to shape health and wellbeing.
Date: 02/10/23
We examine how elements of well-being are at risk from climate change, and propose policy and research priorities that are oriented towards supporting well-being though a changing climate.
Date: 02/10/23
Find definitions for terms that are frequently used in the Healthy Adaptations Hub.
| Terminology | Definition |
|---|---|
| Affect | People’s emotional evaluation of experiences of everyday life. Affective responses to flood interventions are important for understanding the social consequences of adaptations and how these are distributed. Affective responses are also important for galvanising support for adaptation policies because of the way people can influence how they interpret social situations and their intended and actual behaviours. |
| Affective wellbeing | People’s emotional evaluation of everyday life experiences in terms of their preferences versus reality. |
| Place making | [Definition to come] |
The Healthy Adaptations Hub showcases research from a range of projects that have been undertaken by social scientists, health economists, demographers, epidemiologists, and hydrologists across multiple universities (see Underpinning Research for details on who’s been involved).
The Hub showcases a series of resources to support sustainable, health-focused climate risk adaptation, addressing mortality risk and other multi-faceted health impacts.
The Hub has been informed by underpinning research carried out as part of multiple projects addressing different aspects of these issues.
Get in touch with the Healthy Adaptations Team at:
Catherine Butler (University of Exeter) c.butler@exeter.ac.uk | Neil Adger (University of Exeter) n.adger@exeter.ac.uk | Stacey Heath (Open University) stacey.heath@open.ac.uk