One City Plan refresh: towards a fair, healthy and sustainable city
First launched in 2019, the One City Plan provides timelines for six core themes towards a fair, healthy and sustainable city. It has recently been refreshed to focus on a smaller number of One City Missions. In this blog, Lizzi Testani CEO of Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership and member of the One City Environment Board, shares a summary of her speech launching the climate resilient city mission.
The One City Plan describes the Bristol we want to be by 2050 and how we can get there. On 22 October, I was proud to join other One City Partners to launch the refreshed One City Plan and its four new missions.
In Bristol;
- We are creating an inclusive, sustainable and equitable economy that provides good work and addresses structural inequalities.
- The circumstances that we grow up in will not determine our chances in life.
- We are creating the conditions for communities to be connected and cohesive with trust in institutions and in each other.
- We are collaborating to create a climate resilient city where everyone is empowered to act on climate and nature recovery.
It could be said for each of the missions: “This is an important mission that both relies upon and underpins every single one of the other missions”, which is what makes the One City Plan and approach such useful tools for system change.
I am so proud this plan also sees Bristol retaining its explicit and unwavering commitment to climate, nature and a just transition – whilst increasing emphasis on climate resilience and participation.
Bristol continues to reduce emissions at a faster rate than other UK cities of a similar size and per citizen our carbon footprint has reduced by 62% per person (more than half!) between 2005 and 2023 and 56% overall (10% lower than national averages).
The scale of our environmental challenges can feel overwhelming. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has recently recommended that that the UK prepares for a 2-4 degree warming scenario (instead of 1.5 degrees). The impacts at this temperature are much more severe and extreme. Climate change will increase forced migration as regions of our globe become uninhabitable.
In this region we can expect more frequent life-threatening heatwaves and heavy rainfall which, combined with sea level rise will mean disruption, loss and damage locally. We know that climate impacts hit some of our communities harder than others.
The risks are high – but not inevitable.
Progress is happening
Globally:
- Climate continues to be one of the busiest areas of policy development and despite USA cancelling or decelerating policy, this is not really overspilling to other countries. We are still seeing global acceleration on climate and nature policies.
- This month, for the first time in history more than 50% global electricity supply has come from renewable sources, and that figure is increasing all the time.
- The CCC says that meeting the UK’s legally binding 2050 target is still within reach – but requires continued bold commitment from government.
In Bristol, ensuring everyone is empowered will deliver a just transition that saves and improves lives, protects nature, safeguards all our work towards the other missions – and our own delicate and intricate ecosystems and those overseas.
We know that every community has incredibly valuable and unique contributions to make.
Locally:
- Our region has been the first in the UK to publish a Local Nature Recovery Strategy which is also strongly reinforced by the regional Growth plan and Bristol City Council’s corporate strategy.
- In and around our city – through the Western Forest – 20 million trees will be planted and 2,500 hectares (6,178 acres) of new woodland created in the west of England.
- New low carbon infrastructure and solutions (like a new District Heat Network) is being rolled out across the city by Bristol City Leap.
- Our communities are codeveloping community climate and nature plans and taking action that delivers local benefits alongside climate and nature benefits, on their own terms through our Community Climate Action Project.
These missions need everyone
The road ahead requires participation at all levels across our society, from neighbours to neighbourhoods, communities to city, and from regional to nationally strategic initiatives.
Collaborating gives us the opportunity to plan change carefully that ‘feeds two birds with one scone’ – bringing solutions that solve the climate and nature crises whilst also advancing our city’s economic, life chances and cohesive communities missions.
The Environment Board’s role is to oversee the development of action plans to deliver on priorities of the One City Climate Strategy whilst actively responding to the recommendations made by the Bristol Advisory Committee on Climate Change. Co-chairs Savita Willmott and Martin Fodor are looking forward to exploring how this work can advance all the four One City Plan missions.
To get involved in the mission towards a climate resilient city, you can:
- Become a member of Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership. It’s a great first step. We provide tailored programmes to support organisations in designing their response to the climate and ecological emergencies, as well as help to connect members and celebrate the fantastic range of initiatives, expertise and offers in our region that can support your climate action journey.
- Discuss the One City Plan and its Missions with colleagues, advance your organisational climate and nature action plans and ensure that climate change and nature loss are not blind spots for your organisation – that they’re on your risk register and you have a plan.
- Sign your organisation up to the Bristol Just Transition Declaration, and think about how you can advance it’s goals whether that is as an individual, employee, or senior leader.
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