Climate Action Durham and the council recently held a second event following the success of last year’s workshop
The citizen forum is aimed at giving County Durham residents the opportunity to familiarise themselves with our actions to combat the climate emergency as well as actively participate in contributing to the climate emergency response action plan.
During the event everyone split into groups, discussing education, engagement and behavioural change, transport, waste, and buildings. This created buzz around our upcoming climate emergency response plan and brought attention to the details we share such as our website, our Facebook, and our campaigns. Given the feedback, we know we are on the right track with connecting with County Durham communities and engaging with wider audiences however there is a lot of work to still be done.
The evening was filled with valuable feedback and ideas that will help shape and enhance the council’s engagement and communications around climate change and connect with residents and businesses. There was an astoundingly diverse attendance, with attendees spanning various age groups and backgrounds.
Currently, we are in the process of developing the next Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP) which will run from 2024 to 2027. It will follow on from the current comprehensive CERP2 document which outlines the strategies and actions, we, partners, organisations, and businesses are taking across the various themes detailed within the plan to help combat climate change both relating to the councils and countywide emissions. While we can take several necessary steps, meaningful change cannot be achieved without your, partners and central government help and support.
There will be another Citizen’s Forum in 2024 so watch out for the details in the new year if you would like to get involved and find out more.
