Our Vision for Climate Action
Climate action takes lots of forms; from reducing the amount of meat we eat, to cycling to work. Every day, thousands of ordinary people across our city make choices which help reduce the impacts caused by climate change. We believe that with the right support, the people of Greater Manchester can make a real difference, not only for our environment but for the health and well-being of our population.
We believe that in order to develop innovative ideas for living, working, and consuming more sustainably, people from diverse backgrounds must be engaged and heard. Only then can everyone in Greater Manchester live in a green, strong and socially cohesive neighbourhood.
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We are always open to new and innovative partnerships with those who share our vision for a greener, fairer future.
If you want to hear more about how Groundwork are supporting individuals and communities to take Climate Action, please sign up to our newsletter below. Or if you have an idea you’d like to speak to us about please contact us today.
How Groundwork will help make this vision a reality
Our work focuses on empowering individuals and communities to tackle issues which matter to them. Conversations around climate change and action are not always accessible or relatable to the people and communities we work with. Issues such as the cost-of-living crisis or community safety are usually the focus of our engagement. By empowering communities and addressing inequalities, we pave the way for sustainable solutions and actions for the climate crisis. We take pride in engaging with communities from all backgrounds, with a focus on those more underrepresented. Taking insight from communities and sharing learnings allows for further community-led sustainable change.
We integrate climate conversations and climate action into all areas of our work. For example:
- We design spaces that store excess rainwater and cool urban areas
- We support people and businesses to improve their energy efficiency
- We encourage decision makers to listen to young people’s ideas
- We embed climate learning into all our employment and skills programmes
- We facilitate climate conversations in a range of settings
In addition, we use nature-based-solutions to help protect communities from extreme weather events amplified by climate change.
Proportionate climate action
We recognise that action to address climate change must be a collective responsibility and be fair and proportional, with those who contribute more taking the most action.
As an organisation, we are leading by example; having outlined a Net Zero target of 2038.
In addition, our sustainable business team supports small and large organisations to do the same, helping them on their journey to Net Zero and beyond.
Why do we need to take climate action?
Climate change effects people unfairly
As shown in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report on Climate Change & Social Justice people from lower-income and other disadvantaged groups contribute least to climate change but are likely to be most negatively affected by it. Its important to ensure these communities have the skills and tools needed to make their neighbourhoods resilient to the effects of climate change.
Small changes can make a big difference
When we add them up, the things we do in our lives, whether that’s what we eat or how we travel, have a huge impact on the environment. By making changes together, we can make a real difference.
Create more resilient landscapes
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in Greater Manchester, increasing the risk of flooding events. We need to make grey spaces green, so they can absorb more water and help increase our resilience to these variations in weather.