Candice Howarth
Candice is Head of Local Climate Action at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, part of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is co-Director of the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN).
Her research interests focus on how the co-production of knowledge and science communication can be used to better inform decision-making in the context of climate resilience and sustainability challenges. She leads research on resilience to heat risk, communication and narratives of climate action, and models of local climate action. As part of her work leading PCAN she leads the Adaptation platform and manages the network of PCAN Analysts, Associates and Fellows.
- Current projects include: PI for the ESRC Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) (£3,5M), Co-PI for ESRC-funded Deeper support for local climate action across the UK (£100,000) and PI for the LSE-funded Collecting time-sensitive data in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 UK heatwaves (£20,000)
- She chairs the Royal Geographical Society Climate Change Research Group, is a member of the Royal Meteorological Society Science Engagement group and sits on the London Heat Risk Group
- She co-leads the LSE Grantham Research Institute’s Heat Resilience Hub
- She is a contributing author on Industry and Business for the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment
- She is an Associate Deputy Editor of the journal Climatic Change and sits on the Editorial Board of the journal Environmental Communication.
She regularly advises a range of international, governments and non-governmental organisations, and she is a frequent speaker at academic and non-academic events.
Background
Prior to joining the Grantham Institute, Candice was a Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and Climate Change and Impact Lead at the University of Surrey. She was also the Knowledge Integrator for the Centre for Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN) and previously led the Climate Action research theme at the Global Sustainability Institute.
She has worked in UK government (Department of Energy and Climate Change, Cabinet Office), a number of years in academia (Surrey, Anglia Ruskin, Imperial, Cambridge), conducted work for the European Commission, and has collaborated with a number of UK and international organisations.
Recently completed projects include: Assessing climate ambition in the UK climate emergency declarations (PCAN, 2020-2021), Exploring ‘new civil’ politics on climate change at local and national levels (BA, 2019 – Lead: University of Lincoln), Increasing resilience to UK heatwaves (University of Surrey, 2018), Visualising climate impacts (University of Surrey, 2018), Improving responses to Nexus Shocks (ESRC, 2015, 2016), Creating narratives on the UK 5th Carbon Budget (WWF, 2016), and The role of practitioners in the IPCC process (CCCEP, 2014).
Candice has an interdisciplinary background in climate policy and pro-environmental behaviour with degrees in meteorology (BSc), climate change (MSc) and a PhD in climate change and pro-environmental behaviour.
Research Interests
- Assessing the UK landscape of climate emergency declarations
- Improving resilience to heat risk and the role of narratives
- Communications, co-production, pro-environmental behaviour and the science-policy interface
- Local and national public engagement and action on climate change
- Assessment and evaluation of climate policy in the UK
Prospective PhD students
Candice welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students with shared interests and a strong background in climate communication, local climate action, resilience to climate risks, and innovative mechanisms of climate governance.– Visit the ‘Study with us’ page for further information on applying to be a PhD student with us.
Research
Research - 2023
This review focuses on how insights from behavioral and attitudinal studies about heat risk responses can inform communication approaches. Read more
Research - 2022
Through a high-level analysis of authors of the IPCC’s Working Group II reports and special reports of AR6, the authors of this paper explore the evolution of representation of practitioners in IPCC WGII author teams from AR5 to AR6. Read more
Research - 2021
Reflecting on two studies, this paper discusses the benefits of (and barriers to) encouraging more active and sustained engagement between climate action stakeholders so as to try to actively blur the boundaries between science and policy and, in doing so, invent new epistemological communities of practice. Read more
This open access book brings together a collection of cutting-edge insights into how action can and is already being taken against climate change at multiple levels of our societies, amidst growing calls for transformative and inclusive climate action. Read more
Through a comparative case study of two processes that ran in the UK in 2019 (the Leeds Climate Change Citizens’ Jury and the Oxford Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change), this paper investigates how far citizen assemblies and juries are increasing citizen engagement on climate change and creating more citizen-centred climate policymaking. Read more
Using interview data with experts working on climate emergency declarations research across the UK, the authors of this paper critically discusses four themes that have underpinned and catalysed the changing geographies of civil-state relationships within the climate emergency and what this may mean for future global climate governance. Read more
Focusing on London, UK, this paper presents evidence collected via semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners involved in the propagation of climate emergency declarations to critically explore how and why these declarations emerged, and the various different roles they are perceived to play for different local actors. Read more
Against the backdrop of increasingly fragmented and poly-centric urban climate governance, this article examines the establishment of city climate ‘commissions’ as an experimental means of addressing the challenge of climate change at the city-scale. Read more
Perceptions of climate change and associated risks are complex and require greater consideration of the context in which behaviours are formed... Read more
Research - 2020
Using an analysis of UK decision-makers managing and responding to heatwaves and flood risks, this paper argues how more robust local evidence is needed to inform decision-making regarding adaptation options for enhancing local resilience. Read more
This paper draws lessons from the COVID-19 crisis for climate change. Read more
This Primer discusses the heterogeneous manner in which climate change messaging is received by different audiences, how social scientific approaches could help to better tailor climate change messaging to this varied landscape, and how attempts to close this gap must consider the emotional and affective dimensions of climate messaging. Read more
Research - 2019
This paper adds new insights to the relationship between city-regionalism, the territorial logics of the competition state and how climate... Read more
Policy
Policy - 2021
Written evidence submitted in 2020 to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Inquiry on Flooding, whose Fourth Report was published on 8 February 2021. Read more
Books
Books - 2021
This open access book brings together a collection of cutting-edge insights into how action can and is already being taken against climate change at multiple levels of our societies, amidst growing calls for transformative and inclusive climate action. Read more
Events
Events - 2021
Events - 2020
News
News - 2023
This commentary post outlines some of the main findings from a project to evaluate the impact of the Belfast, Edinburgh... Read more
News - 2021
The Place-Based Climate Action Network (PCAN) has published its first book Addressing the climate crisis: Local action in theory & practice in Open Access format. The publication brings together cutting-edge insights from over 30 authors which show how action can and is already being taken against climate change. Read more
News - 2020
The UK government has announced an all-male COP26 leadership team. A line-up that includes women would not only be more representative, but could also be more effective and trusted, argue the authors of this commentary. Read more
Candice Howarth and Matt Lane consider how we can better align knowledge on climate change resilience with the needs of local decision-makers, including by improving the accessibility of the UK’s Climate Change Risk Assessments. Read more
A new paper draws lessons from COVID-19 for the fight against climate change, arguing that people are willing to change their behaviour as long as there is a clear social mandate. Candice Howarth summarises the analysis. Read more
PCAN (Place-based Climate Action Network), 28 February Read more
This article offers hints and tips for climate scientists and experts seeking to communicate with policy makers and the public. It is based on a recent workshop held by organised by the Royal Geographical Society Climate Change Research Group (CCRG). Read more
News - 2019
Can schools, colleges and universities augment government policy action? Read more
