ABOUT
The rise in the public consciousness of climate change in 2019 was evidenced by the Collins word of the year, Climate Strike. Figures such as Greta Thunberg and India Logan-Riley have familiarised climate change amongst young people worldwide and drawn attention to the action needed to combat climate change locally and nationally.
NALC responded to this appeal by organising a climate change panel session and declaring a climate emergency at its Annual Conference in October 2019. NALC is proud that many local (parish and town) councils declare a climate emergency and are working to encourage others to do the same.
NALC believes that, collectively, across 10,000 local councils, we can tackle climate change locally and create more climate-friendly communities.
WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?
Climate change refers to the long-term shift in the Earth's weather patterns and average temperatures. For the past 250 years, humans have contributed to the increased release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which causes an increase in global temperatures.
Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, produces energy while releasing greenhouse gases. The long-term challenge is addressing this build-up of greenhouse gases and ensuring a clean future for future generations. For example, according to the MET Office, atmospheric carbon dioxide rose by 40% during the 20th and 21st centuries and is now over 400 ppm (parts per million). This level of carbon dioxide is higher than at any time in the past 800,000 years.
CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT 2021
The report aimed to accurately depict how climate change is being tackled by local councils and identify their challenges. In doing so, NALC can better understand how to support local councils in creating more sustainable communities.
NALC is committed to guiding and supporting local councils in accessing funding, expertise and power to influence to tackle climate change within their communities.
Over four months, data were collected from local councils across England through an online survey of 211 respondents. The survey explored the sustainable actions local councils are implementing, including climate emergency declarations, neighbourhood plans, carbon-reducing measures, and climate working groups.
Read the What can local councils do on climate change report
CLIMATE CHANGE CASE STUDIES
The Climate change case studies publication is for local councils and county associations to use as examples of work carried out in their communities. These are examples of best practices and demonstrate actions to tackle climate change locally.
The publication is divided into various topics; biodiversity, carbon offsetting and reduction, climate change forums, community projects, greener housing, electric charging points, energy and heating, environmental improvement, flood assistance, green travel, plastic reduction and trees and tree management. It is designed to incorporate all areas of climate change.
Read the Climate change case studies publication
WHAT CAN YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL DO?
- Declare a climate emergency
- Create a task force to establish a green agenda that includes developing a resilience policy and engaging in flood defence measures
- Develop and promote green transport plans, including safe routes to school
- Ensure that all council buildings are as energy-efficient as possible and that energy is not wasted through unnecessary heating and lighting
- Use green energy sources and environmentally friendly products
- Plan for a green community in a neighbourhood plan
- Limit the use of plastics, especially single-use plastics, in your council
- Reduce waste and recycle as much as possible
- Protect important open spaces and carbon sinks and consider creating a community orchard and/or wildflower meadow and/or allotments
- Look at the existing powers of councils regarding climate change — find out more
TOPICS
Biodiversity
What can councils do?
In the simplest terms. Biodiversity refers to the variety of species on Earth. The latest State of Nature Report 2019 from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds showed that 56% of our species declined between 1970 and 2013, with 15% already extinct or threatened with extinction from our shores. To counteract this local council could:
- Protect ancient woodland in their area
- Look to increase tree cover, where possible
- Plant and seed native shrub species, where possible
- Look to include wildflowers, where possible, for nectar provision and to bear seed as food for birds.
Useful links
Carbon and plastic reduction
What can councils do?
Carbon offsetting and the reduction in single-use plastics is an essential step in becoming more climate-friendly. Carbon offsetting is the term used to describe reducing your carbon to net zero. Local councils can work out the amount of carbon it uses annually. The local council can use this barometer to reduce its carbon footprint and combat the carbon produced by planting trees.
Useful links
Designing greener housing
What can councils do?
Neighbourhood Plans are a way for local councils to control and design suitable housing for their community. Greener housing will protect your community and ensure it is sustainable for future generations.
Useful links
Electric charging points
What can councils do?
The government seeks to end the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans by 2040. Local councils can future-proof their communities by installing electric charging points to help transition rural communities to use electric vehicles.
Useful links
Energy
What can councils do?
It is now widely accepted that the effect of gas emissions is damaging the Earth. This is evident through rising sea tides and increased storms, flooding, and habitat decimation.
Developing and supporting green energy projects allows local councils to give back while making their communities more resilient. Local councils can switch energy suppliers to green energy suppliers, which will help investment in the green energy sector. The energy projects that local councils can partake in allow you to apply for an interest-free loan to finance up to 100% of the costs of the loan.
Useful links
Green recovery
What can councils do?
NALC believes that collectively, across 10,000 local councils, we can tackle climate change locally and create more climate-friendly communities. NALC is proud that many local councils are declaring a climate emergency and is working to encourage others to do the same. Local councils can take the grassroots initiative when principal authorities are slower to act.
Coronavirus has affected every community differently, meaning the recovery will also be as unique. Climate change must be at the forefront of any recovery plan. Local councillors have a crucial part to play in their community.
In April 2020, a parliamentary petition was submitted by a local councillor in Bruton, Somerset (acting personally), to rebuild the economy out of lockdown with a green new deal — sign the petition.
Twenty-five thousand voters have signed the petition since it was approved by the House of Commons Petitions Committee on 15 June. Please ask your local council to formally support this parliamentary petition and promote the petition to your communities.
Together, local councils can lead to delivering a green recovery in every community.
Useful links
Green travel
What can councils do?
Many local councils own a vehicle, whether for a minibus to help ferry residents around or for the council to use for tree management. One small way those councils can help tackle climate change locally is to change their vehicles to electric ones and promote other green modes of transport.
Useful links
How to declare a climate emergency
What can councils do?
Many local councils have already declared a climate emergency – and we are encouraging more to follow suit! Once this step has been taken, consider designing a climate action plan to ensure that all decisions made by the council follow are in line with tackling climate change.
Useful links
Trees and tree management
What can councils do?
Supporting trees and tree planting will help each community tackle the effects of climate change locally.
NALC has partnered with the Woodland Trust, the National Union for Students (NUS) and the Tree Council to embed the ten principles of the Charter for Trees, Woods and People (the Tree Charter) within communities across the UK.
NALC believes that local councils have a pivotal role in protecting trees and woodland and thinks they can do this by embedding the ten principles from the Tree Charter into their everyday practice.
Tree Charter
Between 2017 and 2020, NALC partnered with the Woodland Trust, the National Union for Students (NUS), and the Tree Council to embed the ten principles of the Charter for Trees, Woods, and People (the Tree Charter) within communities across the UK. The Big Lottery funded the partnership.
The Tree Charter was launched at Lincoln Castle on 6 November 2017 and set out the principles for a society where people and trees can stand stronger together. The charter branch network included local (parish and town) councils, schools, community woodland groups, artists and campaigners.
The ten principles are:
- Sustain landscapes rich in wildlife
- Plant for the future
- Celebrate the power of trees to inspire
- Grow forests of opportunity and innovation
- Protect irreplaceable trees and woods
- Plan greener local landscapes
- Recover health, hope and wellbeing with the help of trees
- Make trees accessible to all
- Combat the threats to our habitats
- Strengthen our landscapes with trees
Tree Charter case studies
The Tree Charter case studies publication is for local councils and county associations to use as examples of work carried out in their communities. These are examples of best practices and demonstrate actions to enhance tree cover locally.
The publication is divided into topics; Biodiversity, Climate change, Innovation, Inspiration, Landscapes, Longevity, Planning, Planting, Protection, Sustainability and Tree Charter Day. It is designed to incorporate all areas of tree planting and preservation
Read the Tree Charter case studies publication
Useful links
The Carbon Literacy Project
The Carbon Literacy Project enables the delivery of a day's worth of practical and relevant climate action training that maximises the learners' ability & motivation to contribute to tackling the climate crisis. As part of the training, all learners commit to taking two significant carbon reduction actions within their control, and successful learners are certified as Carbon Literate. Over 85,000 learners from over 6,000 organisations have certified Carbon Literate learners across all seven continents. At COP21, the UN recognised Carbon Literacy as one of 100 transformative action programs worldwide, which could materially change how we deal with climate change if rolled out at scale.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy commissioned The Carbon Literacy Project to develop a suite of shareable training Toolkit Courses for different public sector audiences. Following the success of these, The Carbon Literacy Project has launched an off-the-shelf Toolkit Course for local councils, which has been reviewed and piloted by a panel of councils. The Toolkit Course further equips councillors and officers to lead by example, cascade environmentally sustainable and socially responsible values, and engage residents in effective and transformative action. The Toolkit Course facilitates the sharing of knowledge and best practices using case studies of climate action from NALC.
In a day’s worth of interactive learning, councillors and officers:
- Learn about emissions under their influence
- Gain an understanding of the basic science of climate change, the urgency and scale of the climate emergency, and how climate change will affect us both globally and locally
- Develop an awareness of which actions will have the greatest impact in the drive to achieve net zero emissions
- Create an action plan to help reduce the carbon footprint of their local area
- Explore strategies for talking to and influencing constituents to take action on climate change
- Are empowered to support constituents in making informed low-carbon choices
- Are empowered to mobilise change within their sphere of influence
If you would like to learn more about The Carbon Literacy Project, please contact .
Trusted companies and funding
How do I know how to trust a company?
- Are they MCS recommended?
- Do they have a trust pilot certificate?
- Do they have a YOUGEN certificate?
- Ask them how long they have been in business.
- Look at other recommendations from businesses and personal use.
- Work with companies who are local to you or our national companies. Where possible, to ensure long-term system support try to work with a local company that satisfies the above points and offers genuine backup and service provision.
Equipment
- Look at MCS-recommended equipment.
- Look for high-quality equipment - cheap doesn't always mean good.
Types of funding
- Create a community-owned project, which means that the community, instead of a business, owns the project
- Communities can use crowdfunding platforms such as Abundance Investment and Funding Circle
- Governmental funding programmes
- Consider using banking arrangements
- Renewable heating incentive
- Asset finance for renewables
- Google support fund for local business funds for green projects
- Consider using banking arrangements
- Power—of—purchase agreements involve working with a company that will install the project for free, so you buy the electricity for a lower price and then buy back the installation in the future. Look at companies like Zestec and Caplor Energy.