Guest blog: Leveraging Virtual Reality for climate resilience and preparedness
Guest blog by Andrew Grigg, Head of Sustainability Consulting at Sopra Steria Next UK.
As climate change intensifies, the need for innovative solutions to safeguard communities and infrastructure has never been more urgent. While traditional approaches to addressing climate resilience have their place, emerging technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) are reshaping how we educate, influence decision-making, and foster proactive climate preparedness strategies. The success of the Phusicos VR initiative from our team in Norway offers valuable insights into how the UK could benefit from adopting similar solutions.
The role of technology in climate resilience
The challenge: Traditional methods of educating decision-makers about climate change often struggle to engage their audiences and drive action. Complex data and abstract concepts can feel distant and difficult to connect with real-world consequences.
The opportunity: Immersive technologies like VR bridge this gap by creating experiences that are both engaging and memorable. Through realistic simulations of extreme weather scenarios, users are not only informed but emotionally invested. This helps translate awareness into actionable strategies for climate resilience.
Case Study: Phusicos VR – A Norwegian success story
In Norway, the Phusicos VR initiative emerged as a collaborative effort between Innlandet County Municipality, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), and Sopra Steria. It was designed to promote Nature-based Solutions (NbS), which aims to mitigate climate-related disasters such as floods, landslides, and avalanches, by using nature more than engineered solutions.
How it works:
Users experience realistic extreme weather scenarios, such as avalanches, within the VR environment.
The app provides actionable suggestions on how to prevent or mitigate these disasters. For instance, the simulation might highlight how planting trees could reduce the likelihood of landslides.
Storyboarding and agile methodologies were central to creating an engaging and educational user experience.
Results:
The platform received high marks for user engagement and knowledge retention. After testing, an average of 4.16 out of 5 answered that they have gained knowledge, while 4.75 out of 5 rated VR highly as a learning platform (Report from PHUSICOS, according to nature, Deliverable D61.DG.2)
Users reported a shift in their understanding and attitudes toward nature-based solutions, demonstrating VR’s potential to drive behavioral and policy change.
Relevance to the UK
The UK faces its own set of climate challenges, including rising flood risks, coastal erosion, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. These threats underscore the importance of innovative tools to enhance preparedness and resilience.
Potential applications for VR in the UK:
Educating policymakers and local authorities: Use VR to illustrate the benefits of nature-based solutions, making the case for sustainable planning.
Training emergency responders: Simulate disaster scenarios to improve readiness and response strategies.
Urban planning and development: Help planners visualise the impact of climate-resilient infrastructure and NbS in urban and rural settings.
Recommendations for adopting VR for climate preparedness in the UK
Invest in data readiness: Before diving into VR development, it’s crucial to ensure high-quality, region-specific data to create realistic and actionable simulations. As Susannah Matschke, Head of Data and AI growth, advises, "put in the 'spade work' to get your data into a good place before diving in headfirst with complex and potentially expensive tools”.
Collaborate across sectors: Foster partnerships between government, academia, and private organisations to fund and develop VR solutions tailored to the UK’s unique climate challenges.
Promote accessibility: Make VR tools available to local councils, educational institutions, and community groups to democratise access to climate education.
Prioritise storytelling and engagement: Leverage techniques like storyboarding to ensure VR applications are not only informative but also compelling and impactful.
Test and iterate: Use continuous testing and feedback loops to refine VR solutions, ensuring they remain relevant, effective, and user-friendly.
Broader implications for climate preparedness
The Role of Nature-based Solutions: NbS offer dual benefits—enhancing biodiversity while protecting communities and infrastructure. VR makes these solutions tangible, showcasing their value in a way that resonates with decision-makers and the public.
Scalability of VR solutions: Once developed, VR platforms can be adapted for use in other regions facing similar climate challenges, amplifying their impact on a global scale.
Future Innovations: Integrating VR with Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and IoT could create even more dynamic and data-driven tools for climate resilience.
Conclusion
Virtual Reality has the potential to revolutionise how we approach climate resilience. By making the invisible visible and the abstract tangible, VR enables users to understand the stakes, envision solutions, and take action. The success of Phusicos VR in Norway provides a powerful example of how immersive technology can drive meaningful change.
As the UK grapples with its own climate challenges, now is the time to invest in innovative tools like VR. By preparing data, fostering collaboration, and prioritising user engagement, we can harness this technology to build a more resilient and sustainable future for all.
Climate, Environment and Sustainability Programme activities
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Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability, techUK
Craig Melson
Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability, techUK
Craig is Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability and leads on our work in these areas ranging from climate change, ESG disclosures and due diligence, through to circular economy, business and human rights, conflict minerals and post-Brexit regulation.
Prior to joining techUK he worked in public affairs and policy has an avid interest in new and emerging technologies. Craig has a degree in Ancient History from King’s College London and spends his time watching Watford FC and holding out hope for Half Life 3.
Josh joined techUK as a Programme Manager for Telecoms and Net Zero in August 2024.
In this role, working jointly across the techUK Telecoms and Climate Programmes, Josh is responsible for leading on telecoms infrastructure deployment and uptake and supporting innovation opportunities, as well as looking at how the tech sector can be further utilised in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts.
Prior to joining techUK, Josh’s background was in public affairs and communications, working for organisations across a diverse portfolio of sectors including defence, telecoms and infrastructure; aiding clients through stakeholder engagement, crisis communications, media outreach as well as secretariat duties.
Outside of work, Josh has a keen interest in music, painting and sailing.
Programme Assistant, Data Centres, Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Market Access, techUK
Lucas Banach
Programme Assistant, Data Centres, Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Market Access, techUK
Lucas Banach is Programme Assistant at techUK, he works on a range of programmes including Data Centres; Climate, Environment & Sustainability; Market Access and Smart Infrastructure and Systems.
Before that Lucas who joined in 2008, held various roles in our organisation, which included his role as Office Executive, Groups and Concept Viability Administrator, and most recently he worked as Programme Executive for Public Sector. He has a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski Cracow University.
