Community groups working on environmentally-conscious activities like repair and reuse, food redistribution, and biodiversity projects can now take the Community Action Group (CAG) network survey, supported by Resource Futures.

Devon County Council want to hear from you to learn how best to support community action and expand the CAG Devon network. 

The goal of this survey is to better understand the challenges groups face and possible solutions to ensure the CAG Devon service is shaped by the needs of the community.

Completing the ten minute survey will enter you into a prize draw to win £50 for your community group. The closing date is Tuesday 11 April at 5 p.m.

Click here to read more and take the survey.

Climate change and mental health: Catalysing a global research community

Tuesday, 18 April, 12 p.m. to 1.30 p.m.

Attention on the mental health impacts of the climate crisis has grown rapidly in the past year alone, yet the climate and mental health space remains fragmented.

There is rapid progress in some places, while critical gaps remain in others. Over the next year the Institute of Global Health Innovation wants to work with a diverse global community to create an aligned vision and connected community of practice for research at the climate change and mental health nexus.

This is a critical time for the multi-disciplinary climate and mental health community to come together, to form an aligned research agenda that meets the needs of people experiencing these impacts and which translates into real policy change and action on the ground.

• 18 April, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
• Stay for optional interactive games, 1 p.m. to 1.30 p.m.

Join online to put mental health at the heart of climate change action:

• Hear more about this project from the project team
• Have the chance to ask questions
• Find out how you can get involved
• Get creative with Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre games

Register now for their launch event.

ShareFest Totnes - 29 April 10 a.m to 4 p.m, Totnes Town Council Civic Hall, Market Square, High Street, Totnes

Are you based in Totnes or locally in Devon? Join ShareFest on 29 April at Totnes Town Council's Civic Hall for a host of fun activities.

This is a collaboration of likeminded individuals and organisations, all working to build a world where people and planet thrive together. There will be a Repair Cafe, a pay-what-you-feel cafe, seed and plant swap, and an upcycling workshop. If you're based locally, come along!

Click here to find out more.

Green Infrastructure: How can we build a sustainable future? Tuesday 16 May,
2 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.

Due to our growing population and increased urbanisation, it is estimated that globally we build the equivalent of a city the size of Paris every single week!

At present, the building and construction industry is responsible for almost 40% of global carbon emissions, of which 70% is from energy consumption and the remainder from construction materials.

The strive for net-zero emissions would require these CO2 emissions to fall by 50% by 2030 according to the IEA. As the energy grid transitions away from fossil fuels, it is evident that the next step in the fight against climate change is tackling the carbon footprint of building materials, both the manufacture and supply of construction materials as well as the construction process itself.

As such, the Grantham Institute for Sustainable Futures asks the question: How can we build a sustainable future?

This online event will include a panel discussion with experts in construction from both industry and academia to highlight the top priorities and challenges for decarbonising infrastructure, as well as cutting-edge research in the area.

There will be the opportunity for you to ask the panellists your burning questions and understand the best practices for building a greener world. All staff, students and general public are welcome.

Click here to register.

Become a “Community Energy Champion”

Would You Like To Support Your Friends, Neighbours, Transition Street Group & Community To Reduce Their Energy Bills & Reduce Energy Waste?

Wednesday 24 May & Tuesday 30 May from 1 p.m. to
4.30 p.m, at the REconomy Centre, Totnes.

A short course is being provided to train ten local people in the TQ9 area in the basic skills & knowledge that will enable them to help their friends & local community to reduce their energy costs / waste.

The course will be run over two 3½ hour training sessions. This training is being provided for FREE but must be booked in advance.

The course is designed to help our communities to:

1. Lower energy bills
2. Improve energy security
3. Lower their carbon footprint
4. Transition to renewable energy & low carbon heating when possible

If you are interested in participating in the training, you can find out more & book your place online here.

Thousands of botanists from the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) have spent
the last twenty years collecting data on changes in the British and Irish flora.

The results have now been published in Plant Atlas 2020 and four main trends have emerged since the 1950s:

● 53% of our native plants such as heather and harebell have declined in Britain due to human impacts such as agricultural intensification and climate change.
● non-native plant species now outnumber native plant species in the wild – this startling discovery has huge implications for the insects and other species that depend on our native plants.
● many non-native species are benign but some such as New Zealand pigmyweed and sitka spruce have become invasive, disrupting ecosystem function and outcompeting native species.
● many montane plants have declined due to climate change whereas some southern species such as bee orchid have benefited and spread further north.

To read more, click here.

The IPCC has published its final report in the sixth assessment cycle on climate change. The work has involved over 700 scientists from 91 countries and has taken eight years to complete, which makes it one of the most in-depth analysis on climate change ever conducted. 

In 2018, IPCC highlighted the unprecedented scale of the challenge required to keep warming to 1.5°C.

Five years later, that challenge has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The pace and scale of what has been done so far, and current plans, are insufficient to tackle climate change.

“Climate justice is crucial because those who have contributed least to climate change are being disproportionately affected,” said Aditi Mukherji, one of the 93 authors of this Synthesis Report, the closing chapter of the panel’s sixth assessment.

“Almost half of the world’s population lives in regions that are highly vulnerable to climate change. In the last decade, deaths from floods, droughts and storms were 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions,“ she added

The IPCC stress that the solution lies in climate resilient development. This involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide wider benefits.

For example:

• access to clean energy and technologies improves health, especially for women and children;
• low-carbon electrification, walking, cycling and public transport enhance air quality, improve health, employment opportunities and deliver equity.
• The economic benefits for people’s health from air quality improvements alone would be roughly the same, or possibly even larger than the costs of reducing or avoiding emissions

To read the report, including its summaries, click here.

A resolution adopted at the end of March at the United Nations General Assembly means the UN General Assembly will seek the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on countries’ obligations to address climate change.

The resolution was led by Vanatu, a small archipelago who's future is threatened imminently by rising sea levels. The resolution was supported by 130 countries, including the UK. Whilst the ICJ advisory opinions are not legally binding, they carry authority and weight.

Click here to read a transcript of an interview with the Head of the Frontiers in Environmental Law Unit at the Law Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) about what this resolution means.