Alexandre Magnan

Member since: 16/03/2025

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Cawthron Institute

Bio: Alex is a social scientist with over 20 years’ experience in research on Adaptation to Climate Change, especially in coastal areas in small islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans. His expertise deals with understanding the past (i.e. main influential drivers of societal vulnerability over the last decades) to better anticipate the future through works on the risk of maladaptation to climate change, the potential effectiveness of adaptation-related options, and the design of adaptation pathways. His research relies on both fieldwork investigations and conceptual advances. He is particularly interested in developing Structured Expert Judgment exercises to raise groundbreaking, trans-disciplinary knowledge on future climate risks, adaptation “solutions” to address such risks, and adaptation progress/gaps at multiple levels (local and global). Alex also has strong experience in the science-policy interface from the local level (case studies) to international processes (e.g. UN climate negotiations). Alex has been a lead author for the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Working Group II “Impact, Vulnerability, Adaptation”; Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in 2019, and Sixth Assessment Report in 2022); leads the framing chapter of the UNEP Adaptation Gap Report series since 2020; and is a member of the Scientific Committee of the World Adaptation Science Programme. He is also involved in several of the Cawthron’s multi-disciplinary teams, especially to (i) support resilient communities in the Pacific and (ii) enhance climate change research.