Over 50 people joined a recent online public event in which Sedgemoor District Council, along with Burnham & Weston Energy and the University of Exeter, looked at addressing the outcomes of COP26 at a local level.
The event welcomed communities, stakeholders and organisations across the district to identify the ways in which we can continue to work together to address local climate change issues.
Through an engaging panel of experts, campaigners and policymakers, the event steered participants through the main conclusions of COP26, what gaps need filling and what opportunities exist on a local level to accelerate our progress towards our carbon neutral ambition.
Three breakout rooms covered the topics of local funding for climate projects, climate adaptation and opportunities for businesses. Within these smaller discussions there were valuable contributions from all attendees; the University of Exeter was able to draw out these key emerging themes:
- We have the potential in this area to be leaders of climate action
- To be successful, we need a route map and to decipher how we all, given the diverse networks involved and affected, work together
- Local responsibility for meeting climate objectives lies with everyone in terms of what we do, choosing who we work with including suppliers and partners
- Clear, sensitive, communication is needed to increase understanding and enable change
- There is value in those already taking action
Lynda Wookey, Chair of Burnham and Weston Energy, concluded that the event “helped bring vital clarity and depth of understanding to the complexities of how global decisions about climate action affect our local communities. In turn, there was reassurance that we are capable locally of delivering change needed and recognition of some of what we need to do now.”
An edited version of the recording is here while all of the slides can be downloaded at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/
