The UCL Islands & Coastal Research Lab (ICR) works with academics, governments, local authorities, and industry globally to provide critical insights in the development of strategies for islands nations and coastal areas to respond to the challenges of climate change and transition to a green-blue economy. Our models capitalise on large-scale ‘islands and coastal’ data sets and a diverse range of methods (dynamic models, agent based, game theory, optimization, and simulation) to capture the complex system of interactions.

Researchers from different disciplines (engineering, computer science, mathematics, economics, environmental law, architecture, anthropology) merge their powers to deliver cutting-edge research regarding the technology, the data, the business models, and policies. Our expertise focus in three key areas: (i) Energy and Climate Change (renewable energy systems, low carbon technologies and infrastructure, interconnected islands, and interconnections with the mainland); (ii) Environment and Resource use (trade-offs between energy, water, land, food, materials); (iii) Industry and economy (land-sea interaction, finance and business models, regulations). By applying our tools to case studies, with stakeholder’ engagement processes, we co-develop knowledge taking a inter and multi- disciplinary approach towards how island nations and coastal areas can advance adaptive capacity, risk reduction, and equitable resilience governance to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Since 2013 we have analysed more than 326 research case studies for islands and since 2020 we expanded/applied our methods to coastal cities as well. We are creating a global directory of analysis for islands and coastal cities for energy and resource use, giving their geographical, economic, environmental, and social characteristics.