Richard J.T. Klein

Richard J.T. Klein is an internationally recognized expert on the science and policy of adaptation to climate change, with more than 30 years of experience in original research, science assessment and policy advice. He is an Affiliated Researcher with SEI Oxford, maintaining a close association with the Stockholm Environment Institute, where he worked for two decades. He now undertakes independent research and advisory work.

His work has shaped international thinking on adaptation, particularly its role in global climate governance and finance. In recent years, he has advanced research on transboundary climate risks, adaptation effectiveness, and the institutional and political constraints that limit just and resilient development. He approaches adaptation as a global challenge that extends across borders, sectors and policy domains. He was one of the architects of Adaptation Without Borders, a global partnership that promotes systemic resilience to transboundary climate risks.

Throughout his career, Richard has led international research and capacity-building initiatives and advised governments, international organisations, civil-society actors and private firms. He has published extensively in leading academic journals and is among the most cited scholars in adaptation research. In 2016, he received the Burtoni Award “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to climate adaptation research and communication.”

Richard joined SEI in Stockholm in 2006 to develop and implement its climate-change research strategy. He was appointed Adjunct Professor of Geography, Climate Policy and Development at Linköping University in 2011. After relocating to Bonn in 2016, he strengthened SEI’s visibility and engagement in Germany and in European policy processes.

He founded the journal Climate and Development in 2009 and served as its editor-in-chief for a decade. He has been involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1994, including three times as lead author and three times as coordinating lead author. He was co-director and chief scientist of the Nordic Centre of Excellence for Strategic Adaptation Research from 2011 to 2016. In 2018–2019, he was director of science and innovation at the Global Center on Adaptation and co-chaired the Science Committee of the World Adaptation Science Programme.

During his 20 years at SEI, he was group leader, team leader and theme leader, as well as a member of the Global Research Committee. Before joining SEI, he worked at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research from 1999 to 2006. He began his career at the Institute for Environmental Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1992. He has degrees from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of East Anglia, and received his PhD from the University of Kiel in 2003.