How can communities take action on the climate emergency?
/With an issue that’s so global, and indeed overwhelming, it’s easy to feel that many of the communities we live in and work with are too far from power, influence and the ability to affect the large-scale change around climate issues we urgently need.
And yet, we shouldn’t resign ourselves to inaction. Community development is built upon collective action - people coming together to take action on the issues important to them. Whether that’s anti-damp campaigns, or action to address the cost-of-living crisis, collective community action has brought remarkable energy, innovation and concrete changes around significant issues that affect people’s lives.
We’re already seeing how these approaches are supporting climate action. In Dundee, the Gleaning Project works with local growers to harvest produce that is either surplus or unsellable. This food is then distributed to local community food projects, reducing waste and helping provide nutritional food to those who need it.
There are examples just like this up and down the country, demonstrating that when communities are supported and resourced, they can make significant progress,
The change we need to see
The challenge remains how we can enable communities, both individuals and groups, to carry out activities that can make positive climate impacts as part of their everyday work.
One recent example saw a group build a beach clean into a family event that was part of their usual summer programme of activities. These small steps can make a significant difference, alongside larger programmes and measures.
And while communities can take significant steps towards this action themselves, we need to ensure that this activity is happening in an equitable and fair way – and not simply making existing inequalities worse.
Building skills, knowledge and confidence
We hear clearly from our work that support in building the skills, knowledge and confidence of communities facing these inequalities is vital. Linked to this capacity building is the vital role that collaboration between agencies and with communities. We need to take a joined-up approach that supports community priorities, with effective community engagement and resources to help enable action to take place.
We know that community-led climate action can make a real difference in reducing climate impact, anxiety and inequalities. But it’s also overwhelming and not always easy to grasp. That’s why collective community development approaches are vital if we’re to understand people’s priorities and see these take shape into the positive action we so urgently need.
Read more about community development approaches to climate change
