Feature
MORE THAN MAPS A project launched from the School of Geography and Environmental Science is working to empower young people around the world in climate change adaptation.
Teaching young people skills to change their behaviour to help mitigate some of the effects of climate change is at the centre of the More than Maps project.
elements of computer programming required to use Google Earth Engine, and how to apply a basic framework to assess stakeholders in an environmental context.”
Dr Sien van der Plank, ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Economic, Social and Political Science, has been leading the project with Jadu Dash, Professor in Remote Sensing within the School of Geography and Environmental Science.
The feedback from students and teachers was very positive, with one student commenting at the close of the workshops: “I thoroughly enjoyed both of them and learnt a lot! I loved that the two sessions covered different yet closely related topics.”
Sien explained the premise of the project: “Climate change adaptation means altering our behaviour, systems and potentially ways of life, to protect our families, economies and the environment in which we live from the impacts of climate change. More than Maps designs and delivers workshops to share open-access skills in mapping and social science analysis, empowering young people to be part of climate change adaptation discussions and action.” The project launched in September 2020, funded by an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences. It engaged 30 A-level students from across the UK in a two-part online workshop series. The workshops were the product of a collaboration between PhD students, early career researchers and established researchers across social and physical science disciplines. “The initial workshops in the UK focused on a case study of Sargassum seaweed influxes being experienced in the Caribbean and West Africa since 2011, and included the 12
Dr Sien van der Plank
Professor Jadu Dash
“ More than Maps designs and delivers workshops to share open-access skills in mapping and social science analysis, empowering young people to be part of climate change adaptation discussions and action.” Dr Sien van der Plank ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Economic, Social and Political Science
detection of seaweed using a freely available mapping tool called Google Earth Engine, as well as studying the stakeholders in the management of the seaweed through a stakeholder analysis,” said Sien. “We worked with students from four schools, engaging sixth-form students in learning about the
The success of the project led to its expansion. Firstly, to a longer-term project supported by seed funding from the Public Engagement with Research unit to engage wider audiences and develop additional workshop materials. Then secondly, from April 2021, the team was successful in winning funding from the British Council’s Seasons programme. The network has grown to include researchers at the Mona Geoinformatics Institute in Jamaica, the University of Ghana, the University of Western Australia and the University of Sydney. Sien explained: “We worked with colleagues at these institutions to widen the reach and engage with more young people in the UK, Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, Ghana, and Australia. This particular collaborative group came about because of existing and past research relationships, but also just reaching out and pitching our idea to other coastal adaptation researchers. “The aim was to share reproducible and openaccess skills in mapping and social science
