CLIMATE CHANGE

A task as difficult as good community engagement needs a plan

When it comes to climate action some communities are labelled ‘hard to reach’ – but when they speak, do we listen, asks Chris Church.

Every council climate programme faces a broad spectrum of interest from the community. At one end of this spectrum are campaign groups enthusiastically knocking on the door, seeking to influence plans and policies. But the other end is often invisible – residents that seem to have no desire to talk about climate issues.

For 20 years or more there has been talk about getting beyond the ‘usual suspects' to deliver climate action, but in too many cases engagement is still very limited. Polls show that more than 80% of the population are worried about climate change – why do we not hear from them?

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