AVOID - providing key advice to the UK government on avoiding dangerous climate change

The AVOID Programme brings together, for the first time, four of the most established providers of climate change advice in the UK: Met Office Hadley Centre (lead organisation), Walker Institute, University of Reading, Tyndall Centre, Grantham Institute, Imperial College.

The consortium is designed to operate by using the strengths of the
individual partners but to also be integrated to maximise the production and application of research results. Other institutes will be engaged as needed.

The combined expertise of the consortium includes climate research, impacts analysis, economic modelling, integrated assessment modelling, and analysis of mitigation technology and socio-economic changes.

The three main outputs of the AVOID programme will be:

•    Policy-relevant evidence and research needed to achieve international agreement on greenhouse gas emission reductions for CoP15 and beyond.
•    Core research for understanding dangerous climate change and its implications - including impacts, economic and social consequences and responses.
•    A framework that will further encourage the integration and communication of scientific and socio-economic research on climate change.

The benefits of the AVOID programme will be:
•    The UK Government better placed to achieve international agreement on emissions reductions.
•    Mitigation and adaptation policy even more strongly grounded in scientific evidence.
•    Scientific information more accessible and relevant to a wide range of stakeholders.
•    Research on all aspects of climate change more effectively integrated in the UK.

For more details see www.avoid.uk.net

The AVOID programme relates to the following LWEC objectives:

• Climate Change
• Ecosystem services
• Human, plant and animal health
• Resilient Infrastructure