The Psychology of Climate Adaptation | Mental Health, Resilience, and Human Systems under Climate Stress w/ Katy Harris
The Psychology of Climate Adaptation | Mental Health, Resilience, and Human Systems under Climate Stress
A breakfast conversation
With Katy Harris (SEI) and Janna Hoppmann (ClimateMind)
About the Session
Climate adaptation is often framed as a technical, financial, or governance challenge. But adaptation is also deeply human.
It is shaped by how individuals, communities, and institutions perceive risk, cope with uncertainty, build resilience, respond to climate-related extreme weather events, and navigate change under pressure.
As climate impacts intensify, adaptation processes increasingly involve not only infrastructure and planning—but also mental health, psychosocial wellbeing, identity, agency, trust, and collective resilience.
Co-hosted by Katy Harris, Senior Policy Fellow at SEI and Director of Adaptation Without Borders, and Janna Hoppmann, founder of ClimateMind, this breakfast dialogue explores the often overlooked psychological dimensions of climate adaptation.
Drawing on perspectives from adaptation governance, frontline communities, and international negotiations, the session invites participants to reflect on how psychological insights can strengthen adaptation policy, implementation, and global cooperation.
Topics include (but are not limited to):
mental health in national adaptation and disaster planning, including the role of psychosocial indicators and wellbeing metrics
psychosocial resilience support for frontline communities facing climate stress, displacement, and uncertainty
psychological dynamics in adaptation negotiations, including trust, legitimacy, and burden-sharing
behavioral dimensions of adaptation, including risk perception, agency, resistance, and social norms
transboundary adaptation risks, interdependence, and how climate impacts ripple across systems and borders
Together, participants will explore what it would mean to treat psychological resilience as a core dimension of adaptation—not as an add-on.
What to Expect
A small, informal breakfast dialogue focused on:
reflection and exchange
connecting adaptation policy with human realities
surfacing blind spots in current adaptation frameworks
identifying opportunities for more psychologically informed adaptation strategies
This is not a panel or presentation-based event.
Themes Explored
mental health and adaptation indicators
psychosocial resilience and community support systems
adaptation behavior and behavioral barriers
trust and legitimacy in adaptation governance
transboundary climate risks and hidden vulnerabilities
social resilience and systems interdependence
justice and unequal adaptation burdens
Key discussion questions:
What psychological barriers and dimensions do you see holding back progress in adaptation and resilience - generally and/or for your work personally?
How can we support each other’s personal resilience and collective wellbeing while working on adaptation and resilience? What challenges do you encounter and how could we strengthen our own personal and social resilience?
How can we use a better understanding and application of psychology to advance adaptation diplomacy, policy and practice?
Who This Is For
This session is designed for:
adaptation negotiators and delegation members
climate funds and adaptation philanthropy
researchers and think tanks
UNFCCC adaptation actors
humanitarian, disaster planning and resilience practitioners
NGOs and community-based organizations
policymakers working on adaptation and DRR
No prior knowledge of psychology is required.
What You Will Get Out of It
Participants will leave with:
a deeper understanding of the human dimensions of adaptation
practical insights on integrating mental health and psychosocial resilience into adaptation work
new perspectives on adaptation governance and behavioral barriers
stronger connections across adaptation research, policy, and practice
ideas for future collaboration on psychologically informed adaptation
Format
Facilitated breakfast dialogue
Location
We’ll meet in front of St James’s Café at 7:45 AM BST to begin the conversation, as the café itself opens at 8:00 AM.
From 8:00 AM onwards, anyone who would like can grab breakfast or a coffee, and we’ll then continue our discussion together in a shaded spot in the park.
It’s therefore highly recommended to arrive on time at 7:45 AM, so we can start the conversation together right away.
Duration
60 Minutes
About the Co-Hosts
Katy Harris is Senior Policy Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Director of Adaptation Without Borders. Her work focuses on the global governance of adaptation, transboundary climate risks, and how interconnected systems shape vulnerability, resilience, and cooperation across borders.
Janna Hoppmann is founder of ClimateMind and works on psychological infrastructure for climate governance, adaptation, Loss and Damage, and implementation. Her work focuses on trust, resilience, mental health, collective agency, and the human dimensions of climate policy.