A plan to hold a Nottingham Climate Assembly aimed at getting local people and organisations involved in discussing how the city can reduce its carbon footprint and become more sustainable has been backed by Nottingham City Council.
The Climate Assembly is being organised by the Nottingham Green Partnership which is the co-sponsor, with the Council, of the ambition for Nottingham to become Carbon Neutral by 2028, ahead of any other city.
Nottingham Green Partnership has already held a series of small-scale climate assemblies with local community groups but now wants to widen participation in the discussion about Nottingham’s sustainable future by holding a larger Climate Assembly that would fully representative of the city’s makeup.
The Assembly would take place over 4 weekends to hear and discuss important evidence and make recommendations for how to move forward with the whole city on board.
At a City Council meeting on 11 November, councillors unanimously approved a motion giving full support to the efforts of Nottingham Green Partnership in working towards the Climate Assembly.
In putting forward the motion, Cllr Sam Lux, the Council’s Executive Member for Carbon Reduction, Leisure and Culture, said: “As a globally recognised climate leader, Nottingham City Council is committed to embedding equitability into the city’s decarbonisation journey. It must therefore support citizens to shape and benefit from local climate policy so that Nottingham can successfully reduce emissions in a way that improves the wellbeing of all its communities.
“Nottingham Green Partnership and Nottingham Climate Assembly have been working tirelessly to make this happen. Already they have organised a series of volunteer-run mini-assemblies across the city to instigate rich conversations about the climate and ecological emergency, and how we can collectively work towards carbon neutrality.
“A climate assembly for the city, which will meaningfully give voice to our diverse communities, necessitates a representative sample of the population involved. Participants will be financially supported through the process to maximise inclusivity, and they need to be informed by experts in the field to help them reach their conclusions. There are therefore significant costs associated.
“Fundraising is underway, with several thousand pounds raised towards the goal, but much more is needed and part of the fundraising strategy is to launch a Crowdfunder.”
For more information, visit Nottingham Green Partnership Climate Assembly