We marked the changing of the season with an inspiring and informative full partnership meeting on Wednesday 13 September. The event, hosted by new co-chair David F Murphy, Associate Professor of Sustainability & Collaborative Leadership, University of Cumbria, set the stage for an exciting autumn ahead.
The agenda kicked off with a presentation by Laura Goad from Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC) on the recent Youth Climate Summit. Held at Queen Katherine’s school in Kendal, the summit brought together students from schools across Cumbria to explore energy and biodiversity themes. Practical activities, including workshops, talks and discussions, revolved around the identified major sources of emissions in Cumbria – Buildings, Farming and other Land Use, Transport and Mobility and Consumption, Waste and the Circular Economy. Young people planned and hosted the event, which enabled them to nurture connections, share ideas, and increase awareness about the climate crisis. MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale, Tim Farron who attended the event said; “This is the next generation of leaders, their voices must be heard.” Although a positive and inspiring day, the students called for more adult involvement, cross-organisation collaboration and skills training in reaching the aims of a net zero Cumbria.
Bex Stamper, the partnership’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Project Manager, provided a progress update on the sector groups, Buildings, Farming and other Land Use, Transport and Mobility and Consumption, Waste and the Circular Economy. These groups have been working hard on Emission Reduction Action Plans (ERAPs), focussing on priority areas. Their efforts are progressing well towards producing solid recommendations for carbon reduction in Cumbria.
Also discussed was a proposed timeline for the delivery of the Cumbria-wide decarbonisation plan including a forthcoming Climate Summit, mooted for spring next year.
Steve Curl, Chair of the Strategic Oversight Board, brought the meeting to a close by emphasising the importance of collaboration in addressing the issues at hand. He underlined the significance of the four sector group ERAPs, and noted that collaboration will be key to the action required to decarbonise.
Stay tuned for more updates and developments on the ZCC website.
