Climate Change Forum
The Climate Change Forum was initiated by Northampton Town Council to contribute to Northampton's community response to the developing challenges of climate change. It's members are councillors, community volunteers and council officers.
Climate Change - that is, a warming Earth - in 30 words:
"It's real · It's happening now (1000s of Scientists agree)· It's us (Human activity is the main cause) · It's bad (How bad it gets depends on what WE DO) · There's hope"
If you live in Northampton and you're interested in helping the Forum with it's work, please write to the CCF's Chair: cllr.andrew.stevens@northamptontown.council.gov.uk.
Some of the projects it is working on are listed below
Why has the Council set up this Forum?
There is now an enormous amount of scientific based evidence for the reality of a warming world, and the gases, such as CO2 and methane emissions, that are the key drivers of global temperature rise, are still increasing each year.
The effects of Climate Change will affect the lives of all Northampton's residents.
How soon the harmful effects of climate change will significantly effect us locally is not clear, but there are many signs in the UK and around the world that extreme weather events are now more frequent and intense.
On a national level these are already damaging some areas of the UK, and causing much damage and many deaths in communities around the world.
As a Town Council, though we have relatively few resources and statutory responsibilities, we 'declared a climate emergency' in 2021, and believe we should be doing whatever we can to both reduce CO2 emissions by our Council, the Town's individual residents, businesses and other organisations.
We also have a responsibility to plan for the local potentially harmful effects of climate change - such as dangerously high temperatures.
And to research how the wellbeing of our residents may be threatened by the effects of drought or wildfires elsewhere that could lead to food shortages.
Then, we need to work out how we can, as a community, prepare for these possibilities - such as growing more food locally, or planting more trees which can help cool the air in the town, especially in very built-up and tarmacked areas.
In short we need to work as a Town community to do what we can to both reduce the heating of our world and build our resilience to what is now very likely to be coming our way.
- Climate Change Grant Scheme
- Public Engagement
- Greening The Town
- Every Journey Matters (How We Choose to Travel Around Our Town)
This is an 'Active Travel' campaign which hopes to encourage more residents to use walking and cycling for shorter length journeys instead of taking the car.
WHY? Because there’d be less car traffic congestion on our roads
AND, walking and cycling will make you fitter and healthier – and save petrol money.
We’d have less air pollution.
AND, you’d be doing something positive to protect your, your child’s and your grandchild’s futures.
Interested? why not look at our EVERY JOURNEY MATTERS page? - Breathe in Better (Air Quality in Our Town)
This Campaign aims to provide information about air pollution - what it is, what its effects are, and what we can all do about it.
* Do you know how much air pollution a Northampton resident might be exposed to?
* Do you know what health problems breathing in air pollution can lead to?
* Would you like to know some ideas that might help to reduce your and your family's exposure to air pollution?
THEN, please have a look at our BREATHE IN BETTER page
The Climate Change Forum Display in Grosvenor Shopping Northampton - January 2023
ABOUT THIS WEBPAGE. The Climate Change Forum's webpages have been produced by the Town Councillor who is Chair of the Forum, taking information from various sources, and combining this information with some element of a NORTHAMPTON PERSPECTIVE. The source websites include those of the UK government, other councils, health organisations, and national level organisations who campaign on specific issues, with mainly environmental and nature-orientated themes. Plus journal articles and books by University academics who have a special interest in the Environment.