Climate emergency support

As many organisations declare ‘climate emergencies’ and ambitious targets to reduce emissions to net zero, a number of local authorities have approached Keele University looking for support to help them reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the impact of climate change.

In keeping with Keele’s role as a both an anchor and civic institution within the local community, and its acknowledged leadership in sustainability action on its own campus, the University is leading a project, in partnership with the Carbon Literacy Project and Centre for Alternative Technology, to support a co-ordinated approach to climate action in the Councils of Staffordshire.

The project will bring together representatives from all nine local authorities in Staffordshire, as well as the County Council, and will include a day-long workshop facilitated by the Centre for Alternative Technology, with the aim of identifying priority collaborative projects that Keele and CAT will provide initial support for within Councils. This will include a package of Carbon Literacy development within Councils, developing a carbon literate council, with the internal capacity and confidence to roll out further carbon literacy training within their organisation.

Although still only in the early stages of the project, the initial partnership between Keele and local councils has resulted in: the delivery of climate change workshops for officers and staff at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council; discussions with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on avenues for support from the University; and work with Councillors at Stoke-on-Trent City Council to compare performance and commitments on climate change to other regional councils.

A new inter-sectoral network, Staffordshire Climate Matters, of which Keele is a key partner, has also been established to catalyse and coordinate climate action across the County.