Press Release: Climate Emergency UK releases 4,000 FOI responses covering UK councils climate action
For Immediate Release: 25th September 2023 Climate Emergency UK has today released over 4,000 responses to Freedom of Information requests made to UK councils covering 11 areas of climate action, from housing and transport to staffing and carbon literacy training. The...
Taking Action Together: Conference 13th November
[tt-event url='https://www.tickettailor.com/all-tickets/climateemergencyuk/ref/website_widget/' minimal='false' bg_fill='true' show_logo='true' ] Has your organisation declared a Climate (and Ecological) Emergency, committing to radically reduce its emissions and...
Scorecards Methodology Blog: Combined Authorities
How and Why we created the amended methodology for Combined Authorities Combined Authorities in England This week, we released the combined authority methodology for combined authorities. Combined authorities are a new tier of local government in England since 2010...
Scorecards methodology blog series: Collaboration & Engagement
Consulting residents Collaboration & Engagement: How and why we created this section The Collaboration & Engagement section is in some ways totally different from the other sections in the scorecards. Instead of examining one of the emissions sectors, it looks...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Biodiversity
The Biodiversity section differs from the other sections in the Scorecards as it covers the actions councils can take to, you guessed it, improve biodiversity rather than reduce emissions. Many of these actions have the co-benefit of reducing emissions, as wildlife...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Waste Reduction & Food
Food & Waste: How and why we created this section Recycling bins This section is one of the shorter sections, and this is because the role that councils can play in area-wide waste reduction and sustainable food consumption is primarily a convening and influencing...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Devolved Nations
But isn’t it different in Scotland (Wales, England or Northern Ireland)? How our draft methodology accounts for differences in data collection and legislation across the four nations of the UK The UK’s local government structure is confusing. And it gets even more so...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Planning
How and why we created this section Planning is one of the most fascinating and headache inducing sectors within the Council Climate Actions Scorecards. It is the area where local authorities legally have the most power to set higher building standards, and direct...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Transport
Transport is one of the sectors that produces the majority of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Encouragingly, there are many actions councils can take in order to reduce emissions within the transport sector. The difficulty with compiling a list of actions that...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Why are we creating them?
WHY ARE WE CREATING THE COUNCIL CLIMATE ACTION SCORECARDS? We know that UK councils are crucial to creating the low-emission future we need. According to the Climate Change Committee, local authorities have influence over a third of emissions in their area and 83% of...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Why are we using FOI requests?
This January, Climate Emergency UK published the Council Climate Plan Scorecards. As the name suggests, we only looked at plans and strategies that councils have published in order to mark their progress. Now that we’re looking at action, we’ve had to expand the data...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Governance & Finance
Governance & Finance: How and why we created this section Working on Governance and Finance We don’t have a favourite section, but for those council climate policy wonks, we think this section will be really interesting! This section is all about how a council is...
Press Release: Climate Emergency UK reveal how they will score UK councils on their climate action
Climate Emergency UK have published their methodology for scoring all UK councils on the action they are taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Council Climate Action Scorecards will be the first comprehensive measurement of councils’ climate action. The...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Councils
Councils: What to do with the draft methodology to ensure your council Scorecard is accurate next year? We have now published the (hopefully!) long-awaited methodology for how we plan to score councils on their climate action in 2023. A part of this, we...
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Campaigners
Campaigners: What to do with the draft methodology? Some of our Scorecard volunteers from last time We know that there are lots of campaigners throughout the UK who are already pushing their council for further climate action, and there are others who want to start....
Scorecards Methodology Blog Series: Buildings & Heating
Buildings & Heating: How and why we created this section Homes with solar panels Buildings and Heating is one of the sectors that produces the majority of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Encouragingly, there are some actions councils can take in order to reduce...
Can you be our new Board Director?
We are looking for a couple of Board of Directors to help guide Climate Emergency UK over the course of the next 2 years. Climate Emergency UK is at a critical juncture as an organisation. Since starting just over 3 years ago we have achieved a lot: Creating the list...
Update: How are the Council Climate Plan Scorecards doing?
Back in January 2022 we launched the Council Climate Plan Scorecards, our pilot project which assessed all the council Climate Action Plans in the UK. Amongst many other tools, the scorecards website allows you to view councils’ overall scores and the breakdown of...
Map of Local Council Declarations
For more up to date information on which authorities have declared a climate emergency please visit the Climate Action Plan Explorer (built by mySociety in partnership with Climate Emergency UK). You can view the local authorities who have declared a climate...
Council Climate Action plan scorecards press release
A fifth of UK local councils still have not published plans to tackle climate change, despite most having declared a climate emergency more than two years ago. For the first time, all UK councils' written Climate Action Plans have been assessed and scored, creating...
Net Zero Nation – draft public engagement strategy for climate change
Analysis of the responses to the public consultation on the climate change - Net Zero Nation: draft public engagement strategy, which sets out our framework for engaging the people of Scotland in the transition to a net zero nation which is prepared for the effects of...
From Inspiration to Practice: Delivering Net Zero through Local Government
A free virtual conference showcasing innovative, local government-led net-zero projects from throughout the UK and Europe. Register here.
Public inquiry begins into plans for new coalmine in Cumbria
Campaigners say support for building UK’s first deep coalmine in 30 years is diminishing. There is dwindling support for proposals to build the UK’s first deep coalmine in 30 years in Cumbria, say campaigners, as a public inquiry into the mining plans gets under...
Introducing ‘climate cafes’, where you drink tea and talk global warming
All around the world, people are coming together to talk about the climate crisis over hot drinks and baked goods. It’s part of a drive to boost resilience in the face of adversity “It’s hard to talk about climate change because climate change hurts.” But not talking...
More than 200 medical journals call for urgent action on climate change
Global warming is already affecting people's health so much that emergency action on climate change cannot be put on hold while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, medical journals across the globe warned on Monday. "Health is already being harmed by global...
‘Banking on failure’: Glasgow council under fire over fossil fuel pension investments ahead of COP26
The Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF), which is run by Glasgow City Council, was asked to carry out an assessment of energy sector companies in its portfolios before the United Nations COP26 climate summit, taking place in November. The report suggests fund managers...
Kickstart Vacancies for Researchers/Writers
We're recruiting for 2 x 6 month posts with Climate Emergency UK as a researcher/writer. We are looking for researchers/writers to collect examples of best practice in implementing low carbon and nature friendly measures at the local level, and write articles and...
Net zero – How government can meet its climate change target
Information on the Council Climate Plan Scorecard
Searchable Database of Climate Emergency Action Plans
Climate Action Plan Checklist
We have been working with Ashden, The Centre for Alternative Technology, APSE and Friends of the Earth on a Checklist of features that should be included in a Local Authority Action Plan Download Checklist for Climate Action Plans Download the Pull-Out Checklist. The...