New Growth Strategy for the West of England: Why climate and nature are central

In this blog post, Lizzi Testani, CEO of Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, shares reflections on what the new West of England Growth Strategy means for climate and nature action locally.

A new regional Growth Strategy has just been published for the West of England, with an emphasis on the importance of climate, nature and resilience for economic growth. It leaves me feeling optimistic about the opportunities ahead for our region.

The newly elected West of England Combined Authority Mayor Helen Godwin has set out plans for 72,000 new jobs, with a focus on purposeful and equitable growth.

Importantly, there is a clear ambition for all to benefit from this by removing current barriers to participation, such as access to childcare, housing and transport.

Alongside references to the region’s specialised technical sectors such as AI, aerospace, robotics and film/TV, the strategy also recognises that the ‘everyday economy’ employs nearly 50% of the workforce here and is foundational to our region’s success, including for those specialised sectors.

A major narrative is our region’s role in tech and the aerospace sector, before green growth is heralded as a major driver of future economic growth that will no longer require a trade-off between economy and environment.

Whilst the core aim of the Growth Strategy is to reverse declining productivity levels and stagnancy within the economy, it includes an unusually strong recognition that bold action on climate, nature and resilience underpins and provides solutions to this growth and demonstrates our region’s innovation.

This recognition that climate and nature action is a solution that can improve health, create new green jobs, improve places and offer new opportunities and connection for young people is so encouraging.

Key opportunities identified include:

• Expanding clean energy and community energy
• Decarbonising housing and transport while improving quality of life
• Delivering the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and ensuring a just transition
• Building resilience to extreme heat, flooding, and supply chain risks
• Developing large-scale projects such as offshore wind and tidal power to attract international investment.

Of course, the economic opportunities are not exclusively green. The strategy includes a strong emphasis on sectors such as AI, aerospace and robotics, whose contribution and role in a just transition remain dubious at best.

Progress on climate, nature and resilience won’t be linear, but as the scientific evidence mounts the Inevitable Policy Response to climate change (as forecast by the Principles for Responsible Investment) reminds us that climate and nature action is no longer a question of if but when. They highlight the risks and opportunities for businesses associated with an acceleration of policy responses to climate change.

More than ever before, I believe we are starting to see the confluence and alignment of strategies and action steering, guiding and encouraging a proactive approach on climate, nature, resilience and just transition:

• COP30 in November: set to refocus efforts on international commitments on climate and nature.
• Climate & Nature Bill: pushed by Zero Hour, proposing legally binding targets for the UK government on emissions, biodiversity and citizen involvement.
• Government Climate Plan: Expected in October with an associated ‘Public Participation Strategy on Net Zero’
• Devolution Bill: giving regional strategic authorities, such as in the West of England more power to act.
• Business regulation: new Sustainability Reporting Standards and stronger ESG frameworks.
• Local support: 83% of residents in Bristol are concerned about climate change, and the Council has refreshed its Climate Emergency Plan after cutting emissions by 62% per person between 2005 and 2023.
• Recognition of place-based action: The British Academy’s recent Governance to Accelerate Net Zero report highlights that we will not meet the UK’s climate targets without trusted, place-based, people-centred action, such as we have been building through Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership for years.

Part of our work as a place-based climate and nature network is to understand all the plans and strategies that have implications across climate, nature and social justice and to make it easy for our members to know how they can get involved.

The publication of the new Growth Strategy has left me feeling optimistic and excited to support Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership’s 1,300+ member organisations to play proactive roles in supporting a just transition for climate, nature and climate resilience in the region. If you’re an organisation that wishes to support real, inclusive, local change, we’d love to talk about how you can get involved as a supporting member.

Further information

• The West of England Growth Strategy
• The Inevitable Policy Response to Climate Change
• For Businesses: Businesses can access our Climate Action Programme, which supports businesses to share knowledge, learn and act on climate together. Visit our website for details of upcoming programme of events and over 90 helpful resources.
• For Community Organisations: Through our Community Climate Action Project, 17 communities in the region (and counting) have published community climate and nature action plans that demonstrate the important role communities can play in achieving the city’s climate and nature ambitions, whilst also improving people’s quality of life. Our community partners have recently shared some fantastic resources to guide community organisations in taking climate and nature action and you can read their plans here.