He is a development geographer with a background in environmental change, development studies, environmental economics and political science. He specialises in building resilience and adaptation to climate change through research, policy and practice.
Tom’s research interests include climate change policy and planning, anticipatory decision-making, urban resilience, policy processes and political economy, and child-led approaches to resilience. He has extensive research experience in South Asia leading research partnership funded by ESRC, DFID, World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others.
Gender, Adolescence and Climate Change: From Impacts to Agency
Research with international NGO Plan International to investigate impacts of climate change on the lives of adolescent girls and young women in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Using Feminist Participatory Action Research methods to critically examine impacts on and empowerment of adolescent women in a changing climate.
Triple Dividend of Disaster Risk Management
The Triple Dividend of Resilience is applied research working with internationally renowned experts in the economics of disaster risk management, focused on a framework for and evidence of wider breadth of co-benefits from investments to build disaster resilience. A framework for conducting more complete appraisals of investments is now being employed across a variety of international agencies and programming.
Funded by the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery.
Understanding adaptation planning and finance in South Asia
Research to support knowledge sharing on perceptions of climate change, access to climate finance and policy entrepreneurship, examining the ACT (Action on Climate Today) programme, a five-year initiative with governments in South Asia to develop and finance adaptation strategies to build resilience to the impact of climate change, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID)..
Forecast-based Early Action
A range of large-scale social protection and risk financing initiatives, as well as promising innovations in forecast-based early action (FbA), have emerged in recent years. The Taking Forecast-Based Early Action to Scale project is funded under the UK Met Offices WISER programme. The project assesses the evidence, political economy and opportunities for institutionalising FbA through modifications to existing forecasting, decision-making, financing and delivery mechanisms.
Publications
Youth, Gender and Climate Resilience: Voices of Adolescent and Young Women in Southern Africa
Empowering young people and strengthening resilience: Youth-centred participatory video as a tool for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
The Triple Dividend of Resilience—A New Narrative for Disaster Risk Management and Development
Tanner, Thomas, Surminski, Swenja, Wilkinson, Emily, Reid, Robert, Rentschler, Jun, Rajput, Sumati and Lovell, Emma (2016). In: Surminski, Swenja, (eds.) and Tanner, Thomas, (eds.), Realising the 'Triple Dividend of Resilience': A New Business Case for Disaster Risk Management. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp 1-29
Financial Crises and Economic Resilience: Lessons for Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Dividends
Griffith-Jones, Stephany and Tanner, Thomas (2016). In: Surminski, Swenja, (eds.) and Tanner, Thomas, (eds.), Realising the 'Triple Dividend of Resilience': A New Business Case for Disaster Risk Management. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp 151-172
National political economy of climate funds: case studies of the PPCR and the SREP
Rai, Neha and Tanner, Thomas (2016). In: Fisher, Susannah, (eds.) and Rai, Neha, (eds.), The Political Economy of Low Carbon Resilient Development: Planning and implementation. London, UK: Routledge, pp 65-87
Planning “Exceptionalism”? Political Economy of Climate Resilient Development in Bangladesh
Alam, Khurshid, Tanner, Thomas, Shamsuddoha, Md., Mamunur Rashid, A. K. M., Sultana, Moshahida, Huq, Muhammad Jahedul, Kabir, Sumaiya S. and Ullah, Sifayet (2013). In: Shaw, Rajib, (eds.), Mallick, Fuad, (eds.) and Islam, Aminul, (eds.), Climate Change Adaptation Actions in Bangladesh. Tokyo, Japan: Springer, pp 387-417
Youth, Gender and Climate Change: Moving from Impacts to Agency
Tanner, Thomas (2012). In: Perisic, Mima, (eds.), Komarecki, Marina, (eds.) and Minujin, Alberto, (eds.), Adolescent Girls, Cornerstone of Society: Building Evidence and Policies for Inclusive Societies. New York, USA: New School University, pp 155-163
Evaluation of Adaptation to Climate Change and Climate Risk Screening
Nair, Sreeja, Tanner, Thomas and Bhadwal, Suruchi (2010). In: van den Berg, Rob D., (eds.) and Feinstein, Osvaldo N., (eds.), Evaluating Climate Change and Development. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp 399-412
Distilling the characteristics of transformational change in a changing climate
Tanner, Thomas and Bahadur, Aditya(2013). In: Proceedings of Transformation in a Changing Climate, 19-21 June 2013 :Oslo, Norway. University of Oslo. Interactive
The Triple Dividend of Building Climate Resilience: Taking Stock, Moving Forward
Heubaum, Harald, Brandon, Carter, Tanner, Tom, Surminski, Swenja and Roezer, Viktor (2022). Washington, D.C.: (World Resources Institute Working Paper)
Scaling up early action: Lessons, challenges and future potential in Bangladesh
Tanner, Thomas, Gray, Bill, Guigma, Kiswendsida, Iqbal, Jafar, Levine, Simon, MacLeod, David, Nahar, Khairun, Rejve, Kaiser and Cabot Venton, Courtenay (2019). London: (Overseas Development Institute, Working paper 547)
What We Know about Ethical Research Involving Children in Humanitarian Settings An overview of principles, the literature and case studies
Berman, Gabrielle, Hart, Jason, O'Mathúna, Dónal, Mattellone, Erica, Potts, Alina, O'Kane, Claire, Shusterman, Jeremy and Tanner, Thomas (2016). Florence, Italy: (Innocenti Working Paper WP-2016-18, UNICEF)
The Triple Dividend of Resilience: Realising development goals through the multiple benefits of disaster risk management
Tanner, Thomas, Surminski, Swenja, Wilkinson, Emily, Reid, Robert, Rentschler, Jun and Rajput, Sumati (2015). London: (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) at the World Bank and Overseas Development Institute (ODI))
Wilkinson, Emily, Tanner, Thomas, Simonet, Catherine and Pichon, Florence (2015). (in Wilkinson, Emily and Peters, Katie (eds.) Climate extremes and resilient poverty reduction: Development designed with uncertainty in mind. London: Overseas Development Institute)
Livelihood resilience in a changing world – 6 global policy recommendations for a more sustainable future
Ayeb-Karlsson, Sonja, Tanner, Thomas, van der Geest, Kees and Warner, Koko (2015). (UNU-EHS Working Paper Series, No. 22. Bonn: United Nations University Institute of Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS))
Promoting the use of climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in sub-Saharan Africa: Results from the Future Climate For Africa scoping phase
Jones, Lindsey, Carabine, Elizabeth, Roux, Jean-Pierre and Tanner, Thomas (2015). London: (Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN))
How is climate information being factored into long-term decision-making in Africa?
Jones, Lindsey, Roux, Jean-Pierre, Scott, Charlotte and Tanner, Thomas (2014). (Climate and Development Outlook 2, Climate and Development Knowledge Network)
Political Economy of Climate Compatible Development: Artisanal Fisheries and Climate Change in Ghana
Tanner, Thomas, Mensah, Adelina, Lawson, Elaine T., Gordon, Chris, Godfrey-Wood, Rachel and Cannon, Terry (2014). (IDS Working Paper 446, Institute of Development Studies)
Social Protection and Climate Change: A paper prepared for the OECD-DAC Task Team on Social Protection
Béné, Christophe, Cannon, Terry, Davies, Mark, Newsham, Andrew and Tanner, Thomas (2013). (Centre for Social Protection and Climate Change team, Institute of Development Studies)
Children and Disasters: Understanding Impacts and Enabling Agency
Seballos, Fran, Tanner, Thomas, Tarazona, Marcela and Gallegos, Jose (2011). (Children in a Changing Climate Research Report, Institute of Development Studies)
Reimagining Risk: Voices and agency of children on their inherited future
Tanner, Thomas, Haynes, Katharine, Lim-Mangada, Ladylyn, Akhmady, Sapril and Roquino, Ed F. (2011). (Children in a Changing Climate Research Report, Institute of Development Studies)
Mitchell, Tom, Sabates-Wheeler, Rachel, Devereux, Stephen, Tanner, Thomas, Davies, Mark and Leavy, Jennifer (2008). London: (Institute of Development Studies)
Climate Change, Food Security and Disaster Risk Management
Vincent, Katharine, Tanner, Thomas and Devereux, Stephen (2008). (Issues paper for the Expert Meeting on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, FAO, Rome, 28-29 February 2008, Institute of Development Studies)
Screening for climate change adaptation: A process to assess and manage the potential impact of climate change on development projects and programmes in China
Tanner, Thomas, Jun, Xia and Holman, Ian (2008). (Institute of Development Studies)
Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Human Security: A Commissioned Report for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) Project
O’Brien, Karen L., Sygna, Linda, Leichenko, Robin, Adger, W. Neil, Barnett, Jon, Mitchell, Tom, Schipper, E. Lisa F., Tanner, Thomas, Vogel, Coleen and Mortreux, Colette (2008). (GECHS Report 2008:3)
ORCHID: Piloting Climate Risk Screening in DFID Bangladesh
Tanner, Thomas, Hassan, Ahmadul, Islam, KM Nabiul, Conway, Declan, Mechler, Reinhard, Uddin Ahmed, Ahsan and Alam, Mozaharul (2007). (Detailed Research Report. Institute of Development Studies)
Tanner, Thomas, Nair, Sreeja, Bhattacharjya, Souvik, Kumar Srivastava, Sangeet, Parth Sarthi, Pradhan, Sehgal, Meena and Kull, Daniel (2007). (IDS Research Report. Institute of Development Studies)
