Prof Emma Bland is a founding member of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, and leads the Cornwall Case Study in the BlueAdapt Project.
Through her work on the Local Climate Adaptation Tool, a co-designed decision support tool, Emma has been exploring the most effective approaches to support local providers of services, such as statutory local authorities, health organisations or private and voluntary sector bodies, adapt to climate change. This work has focused on exploring the barriers facing local organisations and seeking to make scientific evidence more accessible, in ways that can inform decision making. Working with local authorities across the UK and in partnership with Cornwall Council, the BlueAdapt case study will explore and share the lessons to be learnt from this approach.
Throughout Emma’s career, she has been interested in how people are impacted, and impact their environment, and associated issues of equity and wellbeing. Emma has considerable experience in building trans-disciplinary research projects across public, private, and not-for-profit sectors to explore the complex interplay between these areas. Other areas of work include housing and health and the role of technology to support wellbeing in low-income households securing research funding from a variety of EU and UK funding sources.
Following degrees in environmental biology and soil conservation, Emma first worked in sustainable development before moving to the higher education sector. She joined the Medical School in 2004, since when she has built cross-sector strategic partnerships, helping to developing climate, health and wellbeing research to address 21st century challenges.