SSC Newsletter 28: PCAN Conference 2023 - Local Climate Action: moving out of silos

Published on 20 June 2023 at 15:39

Dr Andrea Armstrong, Research Director of Silent Spring Consultants was invited to attend the Place-Based Climate Action Network (PCAN) Conference at the Royal Society in London. She saw a fantastic array of speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and breakout sessions together with over 150 other attendees. 

(c) PCAN

They also launched the latest PCAN Report: “Enabling Climate Action: The PCAN Experience'.

The report highlights key findings:

  • That place-based climate action in the UK continues to grow but momentum seen following the 2019 climate emergencies has diminished;
  • The lack of central government funds to support and further galvanize local action on climate change;
  • The need for an integrated approach combining adaptation and mitigation when designing, implementing and assessing climate action;
  • The important roles of collaboration across stakeholders and how climate commissions have helped unlock barriers to progress;
  • How vital it is to use place-based language in communication and engagement;
  • How financing climate action will be more efficient in terms of investment costs and achieving wider social benefits;
  • The roles that local authorities, local communities and stakeholders, local businesses and national government and devolved administrations need to play
    and much much more!

In an interactive breakout session on 'Joining up local responses to adaptation and mitigation' there was a presentation of the Policy Brief - The 2022 heatwaves: England's response and future preparedness for heat risk' which was produced in collaboration with PCAN,LSE, Niall McLoughlin, an independent researcher, the British Red Cross, The Grantham Research Institute and Silent Spring Consultants. Participants were asked to consider key themes emerging around heat risk in relation to joining up climate adaptation and mitigation.