NEWS: Research indicates Government is holding local areas back in quest for net zero
Groundwork had partnered with think thank New Local, Eden Project Communities and Grosvenor in the lead-up to COP26 to produce research which indicates Government is holding local areas back in quest for net zero.
The report, Communities vs Climate Change, argues that international and national agreements are incapable of addressing full consequences of climate change.
Graham Duxbury, CEO, Groundwork UK, says:
We know that tackling the climate and nature emergencies will need action from the bottom-up as well as the top down. We also know that giving communities the power and resources they need to lead that change will support a just transition to a low-carbon society – reducing health and environmental inequalities. I hope the recommendations in this report help national policymakers understand the importance of supporting local delivery and provide new ideas and inspiration for those already supporting community action. Ultimately this is about ensuring more people get a say and are able to get involved in shaping the future they want.
Councils lack the powers and resources they need to meet net-zero targets or adapt to the effects of climate change, and the piece urges the Government to devolve climate powers to local areas.
Instead, a locally led response is the “missing piece”, as shown by initiatives from tree-planting in the flood-affected Calder Valley, to a community-owned wind farm in Bristol, where local government and communities are joining together to tackle climate change and build green economies.
Local government has a direct influence over a third of emissions in their area, and each area is also responsible for meeting its own net-zero goals.
However, councils are being held back by “unclear and contradictory” government policy, argues the report. Local areas are left in the dark about what they can and should do to prevent climate change. Insufficient and short-term funding means councils are unable to invest in the kind of deep, systemic change needed to meet ambitious climate change goals.
The report argues that the Levelling Up and climate change agendas should be working hand-in-hand with each other. Local areas should be empowered to build economies that are both green and inclusive, according to their distinct needs and opportunities.
Jessica Studdert, Deputy Chief Executive, New Local, says:
The journey to net zero offers specific opportunities for each local area: new skills that could be developed; new green jobs in clean industries. But Britain’s centralised nature is weakening our climate response. We are preventing local areas from grasping the opportunities of a new green economy, or adjusting to the impact of climate change. Climate change will make increasing demands on us to change how we work and live our lives. This transition cannot be imposed from the top down, it must be navigated and negotiated with communities directly.