The Community Climate Action Project receives £2.5million continued funding

The Community Climate Action Project has been supporting diverse communities across Bristol to become engaged in climate action and environmental issues over the past 2 years. We’re proud partners on this Bristol Green Capital Partnership Led project alongside Ambition Lawrence Weston, Bristol Disability Equality Forum, Heart of BS13, Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust, and Eastside Community Trust.

Bristol’s innovative approach to community-led climate action, pioneered by Bristol Green Capital Partnership, has now received a major boost through a £2.48 million grant from the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund. This significant investment reinforces the key role communities can play in achieving the city’s climate ambitions, whilst also improving quality of life for local people.

‘We are delighted that this investment will enable Bristol's diverse communities to turn their climate plans into action and empower more communities to lead climate action locally. During the pandemic, Bristol’s community organisations proved how crucial they are when a city needs to respond to a crisis. The climate crisis is no exception. Bristol needs it diverse and dynamic community organisations to be at the heart of the city’s systemic transition to net zero.’

– Amy Harrison, Head of Community Partnerships at Bristol Green Capital Partnership

Building on the success of the last 18 months, the next phase of the project will fund its expansion to more communities in Bristol, the development of six innovative community climate action projects covering a range of issues and enable community climate action to be embedded in the city for the long-term.

An equitable response

On the project, ACH has focussed on innovating for an equitable response to the climate crisis for the refugee and migrant communities we support, creating a community climate action plan with co-production at its heart.

Over the past 2 years, we’ve learnt that refugee and migrant communities are often most affected by climate change, whilst being amongst the lowest contributors to carbon emissions in the city. We conducted a Carbon Footprint Survey with our tenants, finding they had one of the lowest carbon footprints in the whole city. As a result, our approach to the project has been informed by equity, climate justice and co-production, focusing on raising awareness of inequality and equity.

'Climate change activism is often about compromise. What is important is who we ask to compromise. Are we asking people to give up things? So we completed a carbon footprint survey for our residents and found that refugees in Bristol have some of the smallest carbon footprints. So are we asking them to give up more or should we be giving up things so that they don't have to?'

 – Tom Dixon, ACH Research and Project Lead

During the next phase of the project, we will continue to drive forward a climate justice agenda, working for climate action that ensures that the voices of everyone in Bristol’s diverse communities is heard equally and represented in city-level decision making processes. We also plan to break down barriers to employment in emerging green sector jobs for refugee and migrant communities, ensuring our community can access opportunities and meaningfully contribute to fighting the climate crisis.

‘Our project will provide refugee and migrant communities with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle the challenges posed by climate change as well as take advantage of the emerging green sector’

-Yasmeen Shaeik, ACH Project officer

Find out more about the project!

Visit Bristol Green Capital’s website to discover more about the exciting work of our partner organisations.

Interested in climate change and it’s links to migration? Sign up now for our latest MMB and ACH online seminar ‘Migration and Climate Change’.