It’s official: We just lived through the hottest April on Earth since records began. Throughout 2023, the world breached the much discussed 1.5°C above pre-industrial global temperature, the upper limit of warming that would avoid the worst impacts of climate collapse.
We knew it was coming. Governments all over the globe are failing to take urgent action to reduce CO2 emissions and give us fighting chance to save the planet. It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash from one of the cars doing the crashing. The future looks grim, but not everyone has given up hope
Climate Emergency UK (CEUK) are just one of many organisations helping to tackle climate change in our local communities. I caught up with their outreach director, Don von Rohland to find out what they’re all about.
Q: Tell us about yourselves. Who are Climate Emergency UK?
A: We are a small but mighty team of four, plus our Scorecard volunteers. Our mission is to help local residents understand climate action happening in their local area, to give campaigners the tools to ask for more climate action and to support councils in identifying ways they can improve.
Climate Emergency UK has been holding councils accountable against their climate commitments since 2019. With the Council Climate Action Scorecards, we are now also tracking progress achieved at the local level to support the UK reaching net zero by 2050.
Q: The Climate Action Scorecards measure the effectiveness of councils across the UK in taking local action to combat the climate emergency. What sorts of factors do they look at?
A: In October 2023, we released the Council Climate Action Scorecards in partnership with mySociety. We defined 91 actions that councils can take to help tackle both the climate and nature crisis. This includes a wide range of actions including making council homes energy efficient, making funding available for communities to deliver climate projects, and improving recycling rates.
These actions have been organised across seven sections (buildings & heating, waste reduction & food, biodiversity and others) and we also defined 15 actions that councils should take immediately to make a greater impact.
Q: Do you work with other organisations in the UK or beyond?
A: We worked with over 90 individuals and organisations to create the Action Scorecards. We are members of the Climate Coalition and also part of the Blueprint Coalition which is an influential group of local government organisations, environmental groups and research institutions asking the national government to step up its support for local climate action.
A year ago, we chatted with Climate Reality Canada. Little did we know that this conversation has helped develop the National Climate League, a project that pulls together information on Canadian municipalities’ climate action, which will be released in June 2024.
Q: What a perfect example of how local action can spread and multiply on a larger scale. What’s the national picture? How is the UK doing overall?
A: Only 41 councils (out of 409) in the UK scored 50% or more for their climate action, the average score being 32%. The low average score shows that there are significant barriers to delivering the necessary climate action, including lack of funding and changes in government policy:
The UK was at the forefront of the race to net zero when it first declared its ambitious targets. We have also achieved half of the emission reduction needed to reach net zero. However, in recent years progress has stalled and the UK government has even gone back on previous commitments made, which is concerning to us. Our hope is that local victories will show that greater, systemic, change is not only essential, but also possible.
Looking at the scores in the Planning and Land Use section for example, the scores range from minus 1% to a positive 92%, which shows that other local factors, such as political will and community support, are at play in determining the action councils are taking to combat climate change.
Q: Local victories—I like that. I often wonder if that’s what’s behind our collective inaction: the fact that it seems so hard to do, so vast a problem. That’s why projects like yours are so important. They’re a proof of concept. Local stories are a really powerful way of showing a path to a sustainable future.
Speaking of local, how are the West of England authorities doing when it comes to climate action? Any examples of excellent work going on (or not)?
A: Bath and North East Somerset Council has scored 57% in the Council Climate Action Scorecards. This is the highest score of any council in the West of England and one of only 41 councils scoring 50% or more. Bristol and Exeter City Councils follow closely behind on 55% and 56% respectively and Torridge District Council scored the lowest on 17%. Herefordshire achieved 43% and Worcestershire 31%. The average score across the West of England was 38%, above the average across England of 32%. The West of England Combined Authority scored 51% which is also slightly higher than the average for combined authorities.
The picture is very contrasted, with some councils doing significantly better than others. I would definitely encourage readers to check the scores of their councils, including for individual sections and issues they particularly care about. There is also a cool function to compare results from two councils and looking at the questions one by one.
Q: I love that idea. Being able to point to excellent work going on in a neighbouring or comparable council could be very persuasive. There’s nowhere to hide for the complacent. My own council, Bromsgrove, scored a meagre 13%.
With national governments across the globe failing to make progress at events like the COPs, it’s easy to despair about our future. How do you stay hopeful?
A: We know that when given the right support, people will embrace the changes needed to tackle the climate emergency. People are more aware than ever about the climate crisis and are already making conscious decisions to reduce their impact. Just as an example, meat consumption has already reduced by 12% since 2012, and this has happened without any government incentive.
We hear encouraging words every day from dedicated council officers, highly motivated campaigners, and concerned local residents. We know that some councils are using the Scorecards as a framework of improvement, and that some councillors have used the Scorecards to pass motions to unlock more support for climate action, which is very encouraging to us.
With greater support from the UK Government, councils will be able to step up their climate action and pick up the pace that is needed to achieve net zero by 2050. Therefore, we call on climate action to become a statutory duty for councils, matched with additional funding and powers.
Q: What message would you like to send to the public about your work and what we must do to prevent climate breakdown?
A: The actions we take in the next few years will define the rest of our lives. We must continue to put pressure on those who represent us to take further action and allow us to remain positive about the future.
The Scorecards detail everything that is currently possible for your council to act on, including providing grants to keep your home warmer, facilitating the transition to green energy, and creating the safe active travel routes needed for a low carbon future. We also list actions your council can take to protect local nature and wildlife.
Q: If someone wanted to take action for the climate, what single piece of advice would you give them?
A: Check out the Climate Action Scorecards results for your council, then use them to contact your local councillors and voice your concerns with them. They are elected to represent you. Don’t forget to take the time to acknowledge positive actions already taken by your councils. With the right arguments, it sometimes doesn’t take more than one person to get a motion submitted to the council.
Q: It’s true. In my experience, local councillors are more connected with their community and open to ideas than their parliamentary counterparts. I’m convinced if change is coming, it’ll be from the ground up. What’s next for CEUK? Do you have any projects in the pipeline?
A: We will be releasing the second edition of the Scorecards in 2025. We are hopeful that the updated results will show significant progress achieved by local authorities as well as keep the pressure on for them to achieve even more.
Q: Finally, if our readers want to get involved in the work of CEUK, how should they do this?
A: You can subscribe to our newsletter following this link. Are you part of a community group? If you would like us to host a Scorecards event in your local area please contact us at declare@climateemergency.uk
Thanks so much, Don. This has been a really enlightening conversation. I’m going to re-read this for inspiration every time the eco-anxiety grips me!
Footnote: More Green councillors than ever gained seats in local elections this week, most strikingly in Bristol, and they’ll be burning to make an impact in their communities.
We want to hear your views. Please send any comments to editor@westenglandbylines.co.uk
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