Local activism is vital in the climate crisis fight

Within the last year, the dialogue surrounding the climate crisis seems to have reached fever pitch. The actions of campaigners – such as Extinction Rebellion and the school strikers – take credit, having opened up a much-needed public discourse that previously fell to the fringes of the news cycle. 

Local authorities across the UK have declared ‘climate emergencies’ throughout 2018 and 2019, with Parliament following suit in May 2019. However, there is no single definition of what declaring a climate emergency actually means. The declaration is commonly linked to promises to be carbon neutral by certain dates, but targets vary widely, from as early as 2024 for some cities and towns, to 2050 for Parliament. Though these targets are often described as being ‘legally binding’, there seems to be little clarification of what this means, either.

What is even more significant is that few measures have been taken to legislate, at either a regional or national level, how these net-zero targets will be met. There is, therefore, a risk that lack of accountability leads to a positive statement of intent, but little action, rather than a meaningful climate strategy with appropriate time and investment. The question is no longer ‘why’ but ‘how’. 

In my work, I often come up against the perception that climate change is an exclusively global issue, with little that should or can be done at a local level. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Meeting net-zero targets is fundamentally about transitioning to low carbon infrastructure, and so many of the daily decisions around new and existing infrastructure – such as new buildings, roads and utilities – are made at the local level. According to Dustin Benton, Policy Director of NGO Green Alliance, “campaigners need to help people by being straight about how change can be made, including the time it takes to build new infrastructure”.

So far, however, both Parliament and local authorities are falling short on their declared aims. According to the Centre for Sustainable Energy, though local authorities made climate emergency declarations with enthusiasm, they are finding that developing and delivering a programme of changes to achieve the net-zero target is “quite another” challenge. 

Now, British residents have a brilliant opportunity to get their voices heard on climate change, holding their political representatives accountable to the promises they’ve made. “There’s no better way to do this than by fostering robust local grassroots political engagement on climate, so rich conversations about how to solve the climate crisis can be had in a context that is relevant to people’s lives,” adds Dustin.

It is essential that residents have a say, not just about Britain taking climate action, but how this will be done. Climate policy affects all the choices people make on a daily basis; how you get to work, what you pay for your fuel bills, and ultimately, your life expectancy. Significantly, the UN body, ILC, lists social dialogue as one of four key ways to transition fairly towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies. Experience tells us that ill-informed climate policy risks being a blunt instrument with disastrous consequences. The Gilets Jaunes protests provide a particularly vivid illustration of what can happen when climate policy fails to be inclusive. 

This is not to say that engagement is easy. The British political system often seems endlessly bureaucratic, complex, and perhaps most significantly in the case of the climate crisis, frustratingly unresponsive. There are enormous barriers to action, and despite being the bedrock of our democracy, MP-constituent relationships are often mishandled. In our experience, local representatives are disproportionately wary of climate campaigners, fearing their ignorance will be exposed, whilst campaigners struggle to engage with politicians who seem dismissive of their views. Many people understandably lack the confidence, time and knowledge to engage their local politicians. However, organisations such as ours try to empower ordinary people to take action. From community meetings and events, to individual-training and online resources and support, it is possible to level the playing field between political representatives and those who care about the climate. 

Politics today seems to be in a constant state of upheaval, making engagement all the more daunting, and risking the issue of climate change falling further from political priorities. However, with the recently announced general election, this upheaval also provides an excellent opportunity for the sort of engagement just described. Vote with your feet – get out and engage with representatives, attend or run a husting, vote for the ‘greenest’ candidate – in essence, hold your local representatives accountable and get climate change onto the agenda. Local activism is and will continue to be, a key way in which to tackle the climate crisis, and one of the most significant things individuals can do to make a difference.

Hope for the Future has put together a whole range of free resources to support people with engagement during the election, launching on Wednesday 6th November. Visit their official website, or email election@hftf.org.uk for more info and additional support.

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