Bristol’s business leaders are joining together to fight climate change, with the creation of a new leadership group designed to tackle problems at the heart of the city.
The Bristol Green Capital Partnership is the driving force behind the new Climate Leaders Group, which will bring together businesses and other organisations that are working towards carbon neutrality in their operations by 2030.
The Climate Leaders Group will exist to support, promote and showcase those organisations that are leading change in the way in which they run their operations; slashing carbon emissions, finding more environmentally friendly ways to do business and furthering Bristol’s aim of becoming an entirely carbon-neutral city.
Working collaboratively to tackle climate change
Members will share ideas, research, best practice and case studies of the initiatives that they implement as part of the carbon reduction agenda. Together, the group will seek to identify the most effective ways to implement and measure carbon emissions and to support, inspire, motivate and share success.
Bristol organisations are being invited to join the group and to play a part. To be eligible, Partnership membership organisations must already have a publicly stated aim to achieve carbon neutrality across their operation by the 2030 target. Furthermore, they must already be taking active steps to measure their carbon emissions and be prepared to report on their progress and to share it.
Full details of the group’s membership, reporting framework and governance are available publicly in the Terms of Reference.
The current group members include Alec French Architects, Bristol Beacon, Bristol City Council, Business West, the Diocese of Bristol, Ecotricity, Jacobs, North Bristol NHS Trust, Pukka Herbs, SS Great Britain, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, and We The Curious.
Jessica Ferrow, who co-founded the climate impact consultancy, Twelve, will be chairing the group, together with Business West’s Initiative Manager, Nina Skubala.
The group will also sit within a wider Climate Action Programme that is being launched early this year, sponsored by Bristol City Council and Natwest. The programme will provide resources and activities to support businesses at all stages of their journey towards carbon neutrality.
Nina Skubala said that brave businesses recognise that urgent action is necessary to meet Net Zero goals, and are willing to share their journey, paving the way for others to follow suit and inspiring them in the process.
Jessica said that ‘Bristol has declared a climate emergency and its One City Plan commits the city to be carbon-neutral by 2030… a hugely ambitious aim (which) puts Bristol 20 years ahead of the UK’s national net-zero target.
The new Climate Leaders Group forms part of the broader Climate Action Programme, which will be launched in its entirety in 2021 by the partnership, with support from Bristol City Council and NatWest. It will include resources and events to support organisations at each stage of their journey to net-zero as they reduce their carbon emissions through planned, concerted action.
We welcome the initiative, which is another string to Bristol’s bow when it comes to green policies and decisive action.
