CAG Devon is now able to offer support to sustainability groups across Devon, thanks to additional funding secured in 2023/4 from Devon Climate Emergency and Devon County Council, Public Health.

Do get in touch with them if you would like to talk more with the CAG Devon team about our free membership/support offer, or to explore how we might work together in support of community action groups tackling climate-change issues in your area.

General enquiries info@cagdevon.org.uk

CAG Devon co-ordinator – Helen Vines helen.vines@resourcefutures.co.uk

Resource Futures undertook community research on the prospect of expanding our Community Action Groups (CAG) network across Devon. We're delighted to share the findings of that work, which underpins CAG Devon's next steps.

The research results revealed an appetite for expanding the CAG Devon network, and the opportunity to develop collaborative working with other organisations already doing great work across the county, in support of community-based climate action.

Some of the key findings are highlighted below:

• Key features welcomed by those in the CAG network include practical day-to-day support, good staffing levels, and regular information sharing.
• Community groups are currently looking for assistance with volunteer recruitment and fundraising as they seek to boost internal capacity and are keen to find ways to reach new audiences and establish new activities.
• Whilst many groups felt connected to others doing similar work, the need for greater communication, networking and sharing of skills with other similar groups remained a strong theme.
• Existing support services currently available across Devon do not duplicate the support provided by CAG Devon, and the network appears to meet a clear gap in local service provision.
• There are wide-ranging partnership opportunities for CAG Devon.
• There is strong local support for CAG Devon expansion.

We would like to thank all those involved who gave their time to contribute to the research, share their stories and insights and provide valuable feedback.

To access the report, click here.

Responsible science and the polycrisis: A new hope versus false solutions

Free online conference, 18 October, 4 p.m to 6 p.m

From the war in Ukraine to the climate emergency, from economic crises to disruptive technologies, the world is confronted by what many are calling the 'polycrisis'.

Four leading commentators will offer their analyses of false solutions and where we should look for hope.

Main speakers:

• Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE, University of Bath - Why behaviour change is a better bet for climate action than offsetting and speculative technology
• Prof. Paul Rogers, Bradford University - Security, economy, environment - the unavoidable connection
• Dr. Beth Stratford, ecological/political economist - Degrowth and green growth - what’s the difference for rapid climate action?
• Dr. Stuart Parkinson, SGR - From corporate science to responsible science - what’s the role of R&D in tackling the polycrisis?

Click here to find out more and register.

Following recent climate announcements from Government, including the Prime Minister's speech, the Climate Change Committee has evaluated the impact on the UK to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the UN process for a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030. 

Their key messages are;

• There has been real and tangible policy progress since June, with the confirmation of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the recent deal with Tata Steel for industrial electrification in Port Talbot.
  The implementation of a cap for the ETS that is aligned with Net Zero is also an important step forward.
  There was a welcome high-level commitment to a spatial energy infrastructure plan and to changing the process for electricity grid connections in the PM’s speech, although we await the detail of these.
• Other developments have made meeting future targets harder through both the direct impacts of reduced policy ambition and through the Government’s indication that it will loosen certain Net Zero policies.
  • On decarbonising buildings, the announced changes will make it more difficult to meet the government’s sectoral pathway. While a 2035 phase-out date for fossil boilers is potentially compatible with Net Zero, the exemption of 20% of households from the phase-out will have an impact on emissions all the way out to 2050 – making Net Zero considerably harder to achieve. Most importantly, it creates widespread uncertainty for consumers and supply chains. Although the grant for heat pumps was increased from £5,000 to £7,500 it has not been accompanied by a larger budget and will, therefore, serve fewer homes.
  • Delaying the fossil car phase-out date to 2035 is expected to have only a small direct impact on future emissions, due to the now-confirmed ZEV Mandate, which will ensure that 80% of new cars sold by 2030 will be zero-emission.
    However, there may be other indirect consequences, through the uncertainty that has been introduced by changing near-term consumer targets. The risk is that the public and automotive companies perceive a weakening of government commitment to the electric vehicle transition, which could undermine consumer confidence and/or jeopardise some inward investment relating to EV manufacturing.
  • The lack of any awarded contracts for offshore wind in AR5 was due to a failure to adjust the Administrative Strike Price to reflect substantial increases in supply chain costs beyond the level of general inflation.
    It was noted these risks in our 2023 June Progress Report, prior to the AR5 announcement. In forthcoming auction rounds, it is imperative that policy is adjusted to deliver contract awards and the commissioning of offshore wind farms as soon as possible, given the essential contribution of offshore wind to Net Zero and the very high costs of gas-fired generation used in the meantime.
  • There are likely to be broader implications from the Government’s new messaging around Net Zero and the framing of the PM’s announcements as a loosening of near-term ambition. This risks undermining consumer confidence and the development of UK supply chains, which are particularly important for delivery of buildings decarbonisation.
    There is a partial quantification of this effect in our analysis below.

To read the assessment in full click here.

A new report by Demos and McCain Foods looks into the role regenerative farming can play is supporting domestic food security as well as driving new green transformation in agriculture.

The report highlights barriers to the adoption of regenerative farming practices.

To overcome these barriers the report calls on the government to:

• Empower farmers, environmentalists, and other stakeholders to work together to deliver change
• Ensure financial security by increasing support for farmers 
• bring farmers into the movement with a regenerative framework, and enable them to deliver it through knowledge sharing

Click here to read the report.

The Climate Overshoot Commission is an independent group of global leaders who have been working on a strategy to reduce risks should global warming goals be exceeded. 

The commission's members includes former heads of government, national ministers, directors of intergovernmental organisations, environmental group leaders, and academic experts, complemented by a Youth Engagement Group.

The commission's new report, on reducing the risks of climate overshoot, was published in September 2023 and covers the following approaches holistically:

• Cutting emissions remains the priority.
• Adaptation is necessary to cope with impacts. 
• Carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere will be needed. 
• Solar radiation modification should be researched, and its governance discussed. 
• Climate finance must be increased to prevent or limit climate overshoot.

To read the report in full click here.