Cumbria Strategic Partnership
Cumbria Climate Change Commitment 2009
Background
The Cumbria Climate Change Commitment (see the bottom of this page) represents an agreement by the signatories to implement the actions set out in the 11 sections of the Climate Change Action Plan. It provides a one page summary of the key tasks that must be tackled if Cumbria is to progress towards a resilient, successful low carbon economy. Though it is not a legally binding agreement, the scientific, economic, social and moral rationale behind it is compelling. On March 16th 2009 over 40 key CSP member organisations signed up to the Commitment, demonstrating overwhelming support.
Why two versions of the Cumbria Climate Change Commitment?
Whilst we all share similar challenges from climate change, the CSP recognises that organisations often have quite different levels of resources with which to tackle climate change. Whilst many of the key actions are zero or low cost, including simple changes in behaviour, better planning of meetings for instance or turning down heating controls, some larger organisations will still need to invest in new equipment to achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions and longer term financial savings. In contrast, whilst community groups, LSPs and representative / umbrella organisations have limited resources to invest in such capital projects, their role as leaders is crucial in galvanising activity within their communities on climate change.
Hence there are two Commitments, one for member organisations of the CSP (and others) who own and manage significant human and capital resources; these have the opportunity to invest towards a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2014 and also the capacity to adapt to climate change. A second Commitment exists for organisations whose not-for-profit status, leadership responsibilities and limited capital assets lend their role to focus mainly on advocacy on climate change.
The two Commitments are complementary and can be found at the bottom of this page.
Is your organisation ready to step up to the challenge?
Only if everyone plays their part will Cumbria successfully be able to reach its CO2 reduction targets. Sharing in this goal will also help inform organisations about the opportunities for action that are on offer.
So if your organisation is ready to meet the challenge and to take action, please download a copy of the Commitment (see above to chose the appropriate version), discuss it with you colleagues and Executive Board, then sign and send the document to Cumbria Strategic Partnership, Redhills Business Park, Penrith, CA11 ODT together with your contact details. We will post your organisation's name on the website showing which organisations in Cumbria have so far signed up. We will also be able to contact you about local events and climate change information.
Next Steps - Implementing, Monitoring and Reporting
The focus of the CSP's Climate Change Task Group in 2009 will be on communicating the opportunities for climate change activity in Cumbria. This will include reporting on the successes and best practice of the implementation of the Cumbria Climate Change Action Plans and the regional NW Climate Change Action Plan. A programme for monitoring, recording and reporting this information will also be developed.