Sharing learnings from five years of community climate action
The Community Climate Action Project is an ambitious, citywide programme funded by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund. It demonstrates the important role communities can play in achieving the city’s climate and nature ambitions, whilst also improving people’s quality of life.
We’ve created a suite of resources to share learnings from the last five years of coordinating the project. This post is a round up of the latest resources to help others put communities at the heart of climate and nature action.
Community climate and nature action model
The Community Climate and Nature Action Model is an effective place-based approach for climate and nature action. By putting communities at the heart of local action, they can influence city decision makers in an inclusive and accessible way.
The model centres a just transition, supports both community and climate resilience, and harnesses the social and community infrastructure which exists in all places. It positions communities as key agents of change, recognising and valuing the expertise and specialisms held by community organisations and the voluntary sector. Their lived experience and knowledge of people and place is essential and makes community organisations strategic players in the national transition to net zero.
We believe this approach can be replicated in other areas.
Climate and creativity insights report
Creativity has an important role in effective community engagement, helping to make the climate conversation more relevant and accessible to people and their daily lives. Through the Community Climate Action Project we have worked with local artists to create films, poems, and theatre to break down complex topics and connect with people on an emotional level.
Our Climate and Creativity insights report shares how we did it, the benefits, and our learnings, along with examples and case studies, as well as ideas for ways you can bring more creativity into the climate sector.
Capacity building insights report
In 2022 six diverse local community organisations co-produced Bristol’s first community climate action plans with their communities. Building on this foundation, our capacity building programme has supported a further 11 organisations to work with their local communities to co-produce climate and nature action plans.
This programme was designed to recognise community expertise, and to support and equip diverse local ‘non climate specialist’ community organisations to develop knowledge, confidence and resilience in relation to climate and nature issues. The insights report sets out some of the learnings from the programme and share ways that it could be replicated in other places.
Community climate action plans
Through the capacity building programme, 17 community organisations now have community climate and nature action plans with the most recent six launched this month. These plans showcase the climate and nature priorities identified across Bristol’s communities through a process of community engagement and coproduction.
The first cohort of community organisations have been putting their priorities into action through demonstrator projects. They have produced how to guides and developed case studies to help other areas do the same. Check them out in our resource library.
Community climate action prospectus
From priorities identified in their community climate action plans, eight community organisations have developed case studies and potential projects that are ready to accelerate with some investment. These investible propositions offer tangible opportunities to decarbonise and increase community resilience.
The range of ideas generated include decarbonising community buildings, creating an Energy Learning Zone, securing land for community benefit and expansion of a Flower Farm social enterprise. We would love to hear from funders and partners interested in a conversation about investing in these projects. You can get in touch with us at contact@bristolclimatenature.org
The prospectus was created by Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership as part of Bristol’s Net Zero Investment Co-Innovation Lab, led by Bristol City Council and funded by Horizon Europe. The rest of the resources are part of a series of learnings we are sharing from the National Lottery funded Community Climate Action Project over the coming months. Make sure you’re signed up to hear from us, and in the meantime check out our resource library.
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