Climate change
Ministers urged to create a 'green bank'
Ministers have been urged to create a Green Bank to fund climate change investment as part of the Government’s multi-billion pound infrastructure investment programme announced earlier this week.
The future must be climate resilient
Simon Brammer and Simeran Bachra present some insights from a recent webinar with councils discussing how the pandemic is impacting action on climate change.
New rural network could be the hero for net zero
Cllr Steve Count explains why 21 councils have joined forces with UK100 to create - and this week to launch - the Countryside Climate Network.
'Councils crucial to meeting carbon target'
The UK’s target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 can only be reached with the contribution of councils, according to a new coalition.
Putting local communities at the heart of the green jobs revolution
Councils are driving the climate change agenda locally, says Cllr Sir Richard Leese. They can be the catalyst for a new green jobs bonanza to help recovery, he adds.
So you’ve declared a climate emergency: what next?
Paul O’Brien and Dr Peter Kenway warn that, while the eyes of the world have focused on COVID-19, an even bigger catastrophe is unfolding which needs action from elected leaders at every level.
Daring to be bold on net zero
How can local government adapt its path to net zero as society emerges from COVID-19, asks Robert Spencer.
District heating can help deliver on social housing energy efficiency pledges
Dr Tanja Groth discusses why district heating should form a key part of the Government’s post-coronavirus green agenda.
Pension funds urge Barclays to go further on climate action
Two local government pension funds have urged Barclays to go further on its climate commitments at its annual meeting next week.
We are working more closely together than ever
‘In terms of channel shift, in little more than a fortnight we have achieved what I thought would take about a year’, says chief executive of Stroud DC Kathy O’Leary.
The pathway to net-zero
A Re:fit Energy Performance Contract provides the opportunity for local and combined authorities to kick off their pathway to net-zero by implementing and accelerating energy efficiency measures, says Local Partnerships director Rachel Toresen-Owuor.
We need to be ready to cope with the next shock
When the opportunity to reflect comes, Ian Miller feels the conclusion may be reached that the UK was not well prepared for COVID-19.
The troubled world of off-setting and sequestration
Jo Wall says Local Partnerships' work on carbon sequestration, place-making and carbon accounting 'mean we have the skills to help assess the best options to adopt in order to select robust, practical and defensible plans for carbon off-setting'.
Climate emergency: adaptation
Councils must lead the development of localised climate change adaption and resilience, through both action and policy, says Jo Wall of Local Partnerships.
Budget should prioritise local resilience to climate change
The first Budget of a new Parliament provides an excellent opportunity to prioritise the mitigation of the impact extreme weather events have on our people and our places, says Sharon Kemp.
Expanding the approach to public engagement
There are many ways to make it easier to forge public consensus on the difficult decisions needed for the long-term, says Laurie Smith. Here, he outlines three ‘participatory futures’ case studies from across the globe.
Getting to Zero
Programme director for Local Partnerships Rachel Toresen-Owuor says strong leadership is essential if a new climate-conscious focus for developing projects is going to permeate to the core of the local authority.
Some local lessons from the Far East
Heather Jameson finds that while local government officers in Japan are grappling with similar challenges to those in the UK, there is one stark difference – Japanese authorities have the power to make their own laws and raise their own taxes.
Engie to lead zero-carbon pilot in Staffordshire
A consortium is to test a system for lowering energy usage and carbon emissions on a town-wide scale in Rugeley.
Climate emergency: know where you are
The UN Climate Change Conference – COP26 – will take place in Glasgow in November, where more than 200 world leaders are expected to meet to agree a new, long-term deal on rising temperatures. According to organisers of COP26, the UK has ‘one shot’ at making it a global success.
