While 2020 has brought a myriad of challenges to the world, the UC Davis Climate Adaptation Research Center has continued to pursue research that can support the communities affected by our changing climate. Co-Director Dr. Eric Chu's work has stood out to several renowned journals and is being recognized for his well-supported analyses.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebration, the journal Climate Policy selected 20 of the most distinguished papers published in the past 20 years from either an academic or policy perspective. We are delighted to share that one of the Climate Adaptation Research Center's very own founders, Dr. Eric Chu's 2016 paper "Inclusive approaches to urban climate adaptation planning and implementation in the Global South" was chosen to be on this top 20 list by Climate Policy's Editorial Board.  Dr. Chu's paper analyses two approaches to urban climate adaptation planning and highlights the importance of social inclusiveness. The abstract linked above states:

A critical analysis of these approaches suggests more inclusive planning processes correspond to higher climate equity and justice outcomes in the short term, but the results also indicate that an emphasis on building dedicated multi-sector governance institutions may enhance long-term programme stability, while ensuring that diverse civil society actors have an ongoing voice in climate adaptation planning and implementation... Inclusivity, therefore, is critical for ensuring equitable planning processes and just adaptation outcomes.

You can review Climate Policy's official "Top 20 Papers for 20 Years" list to see which other research is of the utmost importance and inspect the full list of nominations on the Climate Policy website. 

The journal Environmental Politics initiated a Best Article of the Year award in 2018. Dr. Chu's 2020 paper "The embodied politics of climate change: analysing the gendered division of environmental labour in the UK" was one of four shortlisted articles for the award this year. This paper was co-authored with a former graduate student, Joanna Flavell (formerly Wilson). The Environmental Politics editorial team nominated the articles considered for the award and the shortlist was chosen by a small panel of eminent scholars. His article abstract states:

Through critically engaging divisions of labour in climate policy, evidenced through a feminist critical discourse analysis, it is shown how a surface-level inclusion of gender perpetuates the labouring bodies associated with specific labour markets. In response, it is suggested that an intersectional approach to climate policy can account for these omissions and highlights the ways in which a more just, intersectional climate politics might be formulated.

Having an article placed on this list from all the 2020 articles submitted to the journal is a splendid accomplishment and in recognition, Environmental Politics will be allowing open access to the article through their website for all of 2021. Be sure to check back at the start of the year to read the full paper!

Dr. Chu is now Co-Director of the Climate Adaptation Research Center and Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Development, educating future generations on adaptation and inclusivity.