Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Climate Week?
- Who is Climate Week for?
- What is the aim of Climate Week?
- Who is co-ordinating Climate Week?
- Who are Climate Week’s partners?
- What will happen during Climate Week?
- What can I do right now?
- What can I do during Climate Week?
- Why do we need an initiative such as Climate Week?
- How will the success of Climate Week be measured?
- What does Climate Week think is the best way of combating climate change?
- What is different about Climate Week?
- How will Climate Week ensure that those taking part are doing enough to combat climate change?
What is Climate Week?
Climate Week is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign, taking place from 12-18 March 2012. It will showcase the many positive steps being taken to combat climate change, and inspire many more.
Who is Climate Week for?
Climate Week is for everyone in every part of society wanting to do their bit to help combat climate change.
What is the aim of Climate Week?
Climate Week aims to help catalyse a real, long-term shift in the way society approaches climate change. It offers an annual opportunity to focus attention on the challenges and share ideas on how we can overcome them. This will result in many more people and organisations adopting the huge number of changes that can be made, in virtually every area of human activity, to move towards a low-carbon society.
In other words, the focus of Climate Week is on how we can combat climate change. It is a campaign to offer powerful opportunities for change to the many people who want to do their bit.
Climate Week’s main focus is on people bringing about change through the organisations and networks that they are involved with – such as their workplaces, schools and community groups. This is because they can then have a much greater impact than would be possible solely through changes to their own personal lifestyles.
Who is co-ordinating Climate Week?
Climate Week is an independent campaign founded by social campaigner Kevin Steele and co-ordinated nationally by a London-based team. It is backed by a huge number of people and organisations from every part of society who are co-ordinating their own activities for their areas and sectors.
Who are Climate Week’s partners?
Climate Week is sponsored by a Headline Partner and four Supporting Partners who are deeply committed to action on climate change. By reducing the carbon emissions of their products, services or operations, or by enabling the development of new low-carbon ways of doing things more widely in society, they are playing an active role in the journey towards a low-carbon world:
• Tesco has set ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions from its stores by 50% and from its products by 30% by 2020. It has also pledged to find ways to help its customers halve their own carbon footprints. The 2011 report from the Carbon Disclosure Project rated Tesco’s carbon reduction strategy and performance as the best in the FTSE 350, and the best of any retailer in the world.
• EDF Energy is the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity and has pledged to reduce the intensity of carbon emissions from electricity production by 60% by 2020.
• H&M, the international fashion retailer have set global targets for at least 20% of their energy to come from renewable sources by 2020, and to reduce carbon emissions 5% year on year relative to sales. H&M says that sustainability is a natural part of doing business, and that stable purchasing and sales markets, in which people are treated with respect and where resources are used responsibly, are essential to its business model.
• Nissan believes it’s time for the Big Turn On to a 100% electric future. The Nissan LEAF with zero exhaust emissions can help deliver a sustainable, low-carbon future.
• SodaStream makes it easy to transform tap water into carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. With no need to transport or dispose of single-use bottles, one SodaStream bottle can save 2,000 other bottles and cans.
What will happen during Climate Week?
During Climate Week, people and organisations will run events and activities that focus attention on the challenges of climate change, highlight the practical solutions, and create chances to share ideas and inspire action.
Thousands of organisations will take part, from government, business, local councils, the media, trade unions, public services, community groups, NGOs, the arts, sport, education, and faith. They will show what can be achieved, share ideas and encourage thousands more to act during the rest of the year.
This will have a particularly strong influence on other people who work in the same sector or profession, share the same interests or live in the same area. This will inspire them to seek to emulate the good practice they see highlighted. If this takes place across society then, as a society, we will collectively raise our game.
What can I do right now?
You can make a hugely important contribution to building a massive movement for change, through one simple action – ask an organisation you know to plan an activity for Climate Week.
It might be the organisation you work for, the school your children go to, the community group you are part of, an association or union are a member of, or the church, mosque, synagogue or temple you attend.
The event might showcase what the organisation itself has done in terms of action on climate change, or highlight what others have achieved, or simply start a dialogue about what might be possible. It is important to celebrate the small, incremental steps as well as the big leaps forward – everyone has to start somewhere.
What can I do during Climate Week?
The Climate Week website contains a searchable map of all the registered events taking place. Some events are open to the public, and you can search for these by area or sector, so that you can attend an event that is relevant to you.
Individuals can also respond to the Climate Week Cuisine call to action, which is to eat a low-carbon meal. You can find tips, recipes, and ways to share details of your meal on the Climate Week website.
Why do we need an initiative such as Climate Week?
Climate change poses major risks to human society and the natural world we depend on. Action at every level is required to combat it. Scientific evidence shows that the longer we delay taking action, the greater the impacts of climate change could be.
At inter-governmental level, concrete action on climate change has yet to take place. But at a local and national level, in every sector, solutions and inspiring approaches are being pioneered, adopted and improved.
We need to accelerate and enhance this process. One powerful way of doing this is by amplifying the authentic, expert and positive influence of those who are already making real, practical changes – to how we make products, deliver services, manage organisations, mobilise communities, run society and live our lives.
How will the success of Climate Week be measured?
Climate Week will initially measure levels of participation in the week and the extent to which it raises awareness of solutions to climate change.
In future there will be an assessment of the extent to which Climate Week catalyses new action, and helps to create connections and collaborations between people and organisations. These are the things that will generate action on climate change during the other 51 weeks in the year.
What does Climate Week think is the best way of combating climate change?
The assumption behind Climate Week is that there is no universal solution for combating climate change – it requires a variety of solutions applied simultaneously.
The solutions involve changes in every area of our lives and work. Just a few examples are recycling, loft insulation, new lighting and heating technologies, new ways of constructing homes and offices, electric cars, changes in consumption habits, better public transport, electricity production using renewable or low-carbon sources of energy, changes in the way that food is produced and distributed, sharing cars, teleconferencing, street lamps powered by solar panels… low-carbon solutions are being developed in every area of human activity.
Climate Week operates mainly in a devolved and “open-source” way, rather than trying to manage or control all campaign activity. It seeks to give organisations opportunities to highlight any aspect of the issue that is relevant to them, encouraging many others to engage with specific ways of taking action in their own sectors, communities or organisations.
What is different about Climate Week?
Climate Week aims to engage those who believe that climate change is happening and want to do something about it. It is not focused on convincing those who don’t believe climate change is happening or do not want to act.
Climate Week has a positive emphasis on solutions, focusing on the good things that people can do and are already doing, rather than emphasising what they should stop.
Climate Week encourages people to have a much bigger impact than they could achieve on their own – by acting to catalyse change through the organisations and networks they are involved with.
Climate Week involves all parts of society, rather than focusing on a particular sector.
Climate Week seeks to catalyse a huge range of positive steps, rather than focusing on one action.
We are not asking people to make pledges. Climate Week is about showing how thousands of organisations from every part of society are already doing their bit – and using these powerful examples to encourage thousands more.
How will Climate Week ensure that those taking part are doing enough to combat climate change?
Climate Week creates a diverse and inclusive opportunity where everyone wanting to do their bit can get involved. This means that there will be a spectrum ranging from those taking their first steps, to the highest environmental performers and cutting-edge innovators.
Because Climate Week operates in a highly devolved way – with organisations running their own events and engaging their own sectors and communities – it also creates opportunities for constructive debate. People will have the chance to contribute informed judgements and commentaries to each other, about the significance of the different kinds of action showcased during the week. The week aims to generate a positive, collaborative approach to combating climate change, where everyone feels empowered to be an active part of the solution.
If you’ve got an idea for how we can improve next year’s Climate Week, please email us at info@climateweek.com.
