Audlem Carbon Emissions reduction

ACER – Audlem Carbon Emissions Reduction

The UK has now committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Although our country's emissions have dropped by over 40% compared to 1990 levels, this has largely been achieved without behaviour and societal change in relation to individual lifestyles and consumption playing a significant role. Nearly all the progress made has been in decarbonising electricity and in the waste sector. Going forwards with the new greater ambition to reduce UK emissions to net zero there is an urgent need for the public, as citizens and consumers, to have a much larger role. The Government's independent advisors, the Committee for Climate Change (CCC), have acknowledged that around 10% of the emission reduction required is likely to rely primarily on changes in the behaviour of individuals in society. However, over 50% of emissions reduction will require some involvement of consumers in effecting change.
Therefore, ADAPT feel that the time is right for Audlem to play its part with a village-wide initiative on carbon emissions reduction....

The Audlem Carbon Emissions Reduction project – ACER.

The proposed architecture of the initial stages of the project is summarised below:
1. Engage with village groups and residents in general to generate interest and identify others who may be interested in helping to run the project.
2. Prepare and distribute publicity material to encourage residents to calculate their own carbon footprint using a simple on-line tool. We are suggesting that participants prepare a 'footprint' for the situation before the Covid lockdown, and another for how they see their activities after lockdown. The difference will represent how the pandemic has affected their attitudes to carbon emitting activities and provide a new baseline to explore possible further actions.
3. The publicity material would be in leaflet form, (hopefully distributed with the Parish Council newsletter) and presented on Audlem Online, supported by news items.
4. Hosting of social media groups to share feedback and knowledge.
5. Organise workshops for anyone wishing assistance with the footprinting and the issues
arising from it, and to provide guidance on the practical achievement of carbon
footprint reduction.
6. Facilitate ongoing meetings for participants to meet, discuss experiences and share
questions and views.
7. In 2021, if technically feasible, launch a more detailed community carbon footprinting
tool for ACER participants, which would allow participants to understand their emissions footprint more accurately and to compare it anonymously with others in the community. We hope that this stage can be launched to coincide with the run-up to the COP26 Climate Change summit to be held in Glasgow in 2021.
ADAPT will be happy to co-ordinate the project but will seek to include non-ADAPT members in the project working group so that the project become a village project, rather than purely an ADAPT one. If you would like to join the working group and help steer the project to success, please contact ADAPT's Communications Group via Andy Hannah (andy.hannah@btinternet.com).