Three new experts join climate Adaptation Committee

Defra and the devolved governments have appointed three new experts to the Adaptation Committee of the Climate Change Committee, which provides the UK’s governments with independent advice on preparing for, and adapting to, climate change.

Professors Hayley Fowler and Chris Evans and Dr Marina Romanello will join the experts in climate change impacts, science, environmental economics, conservation, public health and business that make up the Adaption Committee.

Professor Evans and Dr Romanello’s appointments will run from 1st November 2024 to 31st October 2027. Professor Fowler’s appointment will run from 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2028.

Fowler is Professor of Climate Change Impacts in the School of Engineering at Newcastle University. Her research focuses on improved physical understanding of changing precipitation extremes and providing better projections for climate adaptation. Evans has 30 years of research experience in upland and peatland biogeochemistry, soil and water carbon and nitrogen cycling, greenhouse gases and water quality, process modelling, and long-term and large-scale data analysis. He was awarded an MBE for services to ecosystem science in the Queen’s birthday honours, 2020.

Romanello is the executive director of the Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change, an independent and multi-disciplinary research collaboration of almost 100 academic centres around the world and headquartered at University College London’s Institute for Global Health. She led a team of researchers in developing England’s National Health Service’s Net Zero commitments, and is a member of numerous advisory boards for projects focusing on health and climate change.