Developing locally-appropriate climate actions for Cotswold District

Our response to the climate crisis requires significant, expeditious societal change, writes Aimee Morse, Research Assistant. Although the price of failure to meet our net-zero targets should not be underestimated, it is important to recognise that there are reasons to be optimistic, particularly regarding tangible solutions that have been shown to deliver change at the local level. Such locally-appropriate solutions will be vital in reaching the common goal of net zero by 2050 – but how best to discover what works for local communities and businesses?

There is increasing recognition of the value of participatory deliberative approaches in exploring potential climate solutions (Maye et al., 2022).

The importance of engaging local communities is also supported by local authorities, such as Cotswold District Council. In its Climate Emergency Strategy the council acknowledges the requirement for community engagement on climate issues, and a need for collective action to address climate change.

As part of a NICRE research project, the CCRI has partnered with Cotswold District Council, and Farm491 (based at NICRE partner, the Royal Agricultural University) to deliver an innovative approach to collectively developing locally-appropriate climate action solutions: the Climathon.