Dr Ali Malik undertakes vital research into climate vulnerability
New research funded by the ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre explores the role of Local Resilience Forums in preparing for and responding to the impacts of the climate crisis.
Dr Ali Malik's report highlights that Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) play a vital role in emergency planning and response. However, due to resource constraints, local multi-agency work often relies on relational capital, negotiated agreement, and goodwill.
Decisive leadership, situational awareness, experience of responding to past events, and routine coordination were also described as key factors for effective emergency response.
Greater support needed for LRFs
However, the research found that LRFs cannot mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis without national support. Local preparedness and adaptation depend on safe homes, green spaces, reliable transport networks, and affordable clean energy.
Dr Malik’s research recommends the need for greater professional, analytical, and specialist support for LRFs, along with targeted funding to resource localised efforts for preparedness, recovery, and long-term climate adaptation.
Recommendations
To inform preparedness for future climate emergencies and support long-term adaptation, the research highlights the following recommendations:
- LRFs should adopt an equity-based approach to emergency planning and preparedness, recognising the differential needs of diverse social groups.
- Unified call handling and triage could help ensure the most appropriate agency responds to extreme weather calls.
- A formal framework is needed to enable sharing of resources and capabilities across regions. While local subsidiarity is desirable, as the impacts of the climate crisis worsen, a unified national civil contingencies authority may be necessary to coordinate response and recovery efforts.
Dr Malik says:
This research is both significant and timely as climate-related emergencies in the UK are becoming more frequent and severe. Understanding the role of Local Resilience Forums, how the police and other emergency responders track climate vulnerability, and how these agencies work together to prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis is crucial to inform long-term preparedness and adaptation.
Dr Ali Malik leads the project Policing and community resilience in the context of climate change. He is a member of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and co-lead of The Ecological Law and Justice Group. He can be found on LinkedIn here and Bluseky @dralimalik.bsky.social.
