What we do / Community Climate & Nature Action
Community Climate & Nature Action
Pioneering bold and fair community-led climate and nature action across the West of England.
Supporting communities to lead their response to the climate and nature crises
Since 2021 our Community Climate & Nature Action Project has been leading the way on the journey to a healthier, fairer city.
In Bristol we now have a collection of community-led climate and nature action plans, a strong network of leaders advocating for their communities, and on the ground projects delivering impactful change for local people. This has led to an effective place-based model for climate and nature action that we are working to expand across the west of England.
Our collaborative approach harnesses existing social and community infrastructure to support both community and climate resilience. It recognises community expertise and lived experience and puts communities at the heart of local action towards a just transition.
Photo credit: Eastside Community Trust
Building capacity in community organisations
There is widespread support for climate and nature action and transformation happening from a neighbourhood level upwards. When solutions are shaped by communities, they reflect the views of local people and can lead to reduced inequality and improved quality of life.
Community organisations provide stable, trusted, and often the only, local infrastructure to connect, support, and include people in climate and nature action. They are essential to achieving a just transition – ensuring the changes we make for the planet and nature are fair for people too.
Our capacity building programme is a tailored programme of funding and support for community organisations to co-produce climate and nature action plans and start putting them into action.
Image © Knowle West Media Centre
Bristol network and advocates
Through the Community Climate & Nature Action Project, a collective of diverse Bristol community organisations have coproduced climate and nature action plans with, and for, their communities.
This network is now working together to advocate for the priorities identified in those plans, and identify opportunities for progress.
“Being part of the Community Climate & Nature Action Project has been a huge gamechanger. It has enabled us to bring in new staff, expertise and ways of working, and allowed us to begin to be a nature connected organisation across all our projects and activities, bringing new forms of resilience as our community face climate change and the ecological breakdown.”
Eleanor Fairbraida
Really Wild Lockleaze
Community Leadership Panel
The Community Leadership Panel on Climate and Just Transition offers a scalable, place-based approach that empowers communities to actively shape strategic initiatives from the early stages of planning.
Composed of community leaders representing diverse perspectives, the panel reviews project, policy and strategy proposals on a city or regional level, providing invaluable insights to inform the decision-making process.
Influencing policy
Through the Community Climate & Nature Action model, diverse communities have been successfully included in influencing, developing and delivering low carbon transition plans in Bristol and beyond.
This experience is being used to further influence climate and nature policy, ensuring it is more fit for purpose, representative and legitimate.
Working with the University of the West of England we are undertaking research, hosting policy roundtables, creating case studies and developing policy briefings. Led by our Communities and Councils Associate who is also providing peer mentoring to other areas interested in the Community Climate & Nature Action Model developed in Bristol.
Get in touch to find out more about our policy influencing work.
Image © ShamPhat Photography
Related news
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Doing just transition in the Mission Net Zero project
In this blog Emilia Melville from Praxis Research explores thoughts and reflections on how to implement a just transition to net zero.
Opportunity for Disabled people’s organisation to lead on community climate and nature action
Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership is seeking a Disabled People’s Organisation to deliver a Climate & Disability commission.
Flourishing nature and food activities with Disabled people at Redcatch
Redcatch Community Garden have written a report to share their experience of facilitating climate-based activities with and for Disabled people as part of the Climate and Disability programme.
Our annual review 2024/25
Our 2024-25 Annual Review gives an update on our projects and activities from the year, working together with our partners and members. Find out what we’ve been up to and how you can get more involved.
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Hotwells and Cliftonwood Community Association
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Eastside Community Trust
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Rising Arts Agency
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Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust
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Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust
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One Green Kitchen
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Project funder
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