A climate friendly approach to our day to day lives is now more important than ever before according to Friends of the Earth, who have just published a league table of local authority performance on climate change.
Listen to our interview with SWT leader Federica Smith-Roberts at the bottom of this page
Wiltshire has topped the table of the most climate friendly councils in England and Wales according to new research with Somerset West & Taunton in fourth place.
To find an overall winner, the green group assessed councils in different categories including: renewable energy, public transport, lift-sharing, energy efficiency at home, waste recycling, and tree cover.
Local authorities all over the country now have an important role cutting carbon emissions to help resolve the climate crisis, but most of which are doing far too little.
Even the better performing authorities can do much more, from eco-heating to e-bikes, from transport to tree planting, more can and should be done.
The full list of performances can be seen on the Friends of the Earth website and just how Somerset West and Taunton scored on the climate-friendly test.
We’re in a climate crisis. If we want to avoid complete climate breakdown, we need to radically transform our future and change can start on our doorstep.
This new new research enables us to look up how climate friendly local authorities are, how their area compares to similar places, and what climate action is most needed.
Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earth chief executive has told tone News:
“All local authorities, even the best performing, need to ramp up what they are doing. We know we are facing a climate and ecological emergency that threatens our existence and the natural word. If we want to change things for the better, let’s start at home.
“Doing things right now about climate change isn’t just good news for future generations and people most vulnerable to an erratic climate, it’s good for everyone. Creating cleaner and greener places to live means healthier, happier lives. It’s why local authorities need to take the lead by adopting ambitious local climate action plans, and who better to help them than communities.”
Friends of the Earth are channelling concern around climate breakdown into tangible solutions by helping people form Climate Action Groups in their area. This research empowers groups to work with councils to adopt a local Climate Action Plan.
Local authorities can’t do it all themselves, they need more powers and finance alongside government action. But by communities coming together to improve their local area, they can put pressure on the government to place the climate emergency at the front of all decision making: change starts at home.
Listen again to our interview with SWT leader Federica Smith-Roberts
