As of February 2022, over 300 councils have declared a climate emergency with many going even further by announcing a target of carbon neutrality by 2030. The low carbon transition will require major change, but this cannot just be imposed on citizens and communities. In order to create the consensus that local, regional and national governments need and the funds to deliver the work, we have to engage citizens and communities in addressing the problem.
In August 2021, IPSOS Mori polling reported that a third of the British public see the environment and climate change as a big issue for the country – making it the second biggest issue after COVID-19. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the rise in global carbon emissions, it would appear that this has been temporary. A poll conducted in April 2020 showed 48% of the public agree that the government should respond “with the same urgency to climate change as it has with COVID-19”, with just 28% saying it shouldn’t.
By engaging people through structures like citizen’s panels and connecting climate policy to the needs of everyone, we can demonstrate that climate action improves, rather than diminishes, lives. A ‘green recovery’ from the COVID-19 crisis can result in better jobs, more money in local economies, clean air, healthier travel options, green spaces and warm and cheap-to-heat homes.
COVID-19 and its implications for citizen engagement on climate action
Rebuilding the economy after the 2008 financial crash resulted in global carbon emissions rising by 6% year-on-year with precious little change to the institutions that caused the crash. As the economy responds to the far more significant impact of coronavirus, we could follow a similar growth-at-all-cost model. This would be a lost opportunity. Instead, the rebuilding could create a fairer society that reduces the risk of major environmental disasters which always hit the vulnerable the hardest.
Where possible, councils should plan to make the most of the more positive changes that have occurred during the coronavirus lockdown.
Communities have seen cleaner and safer streets as the lockdown has forced people to work from home where possible. There has been a surge in cycling and walking, with bike shops reporting record sales. In the UK and globally, city mayors are fast-tracking measures to make conditions better for walking and cycling, including reallocating road space to create new cycle lanes and wider pavements. During lockdowns, there was an increase in local food shopping, with some local shops banding together to form ‘virtual high streets’, for example Pedalme Supermarket which consolidates deliveries using e-cargo bikes. Councils can work with local traders to provide an alternative to increased ‘white van’ traffic following the growth in online supermarket shopping.
We can and must learn from this. The pandemic has underlined the importance of ensuring that our towns and cities are built for resilience. Whilst the climate emergency will be slower to unfold compared to coronavirus, its impacts are similarly complex and challenging to mitigate. Left unchecked they will be devastating for humanity. Reducing climate risks through emissions reductions, as well as preparing for the risks that the climate will continue to throw at us, should be a central part of increasing society’s resilience to external shocks – be they economic, environmental or social. By ensuring a co-benefits approach to climate action we can take citizens with us and, at the same time, deliver a raft of other benefits like boosting green jobs, improving health or creating local, sustainable economies that work to reduce inequalities. Inequalities that have only been too plain to see.
Chapter 2 provides details about the opportunities for councils to engage with citizens and communities on climate action.
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1.7 Role of decision makers
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Chapter 2 – Citizen & community engagement
