Manchester has launched an initiative to become the UK’s first Carbon Literate City as part of the drive to become zero carbon by 2038.
The effort, co-ordinated by Manchester City Council working with The Carbon Literacy Project, aims to achieve the status by getting the equivalent of 15% of the city’s population – 85,349 people – trained and certified as Carbon Literate.
Carbon Literacy® is defined as “an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis.” It describes an awareness of climate change and the impacts which our everyday actions, whether as individuals or organisations, have. Being Carbon Literate enables people to take informed decisions, whether in their personal or work lives. Becoming a Carbon Literate City will help in the collective effort to dramatically cut harmful carbon emissions across Manchester.
Manchester City Council is already committed to Carbon Literacy and is the first local authority to achieve The Carbon Literacy Project’s Silver organisational designation and is working towards Gold status. By December this year the Council aims to have 50% of its staff, around 3,500 people, trained and certified in Carbon Literacy. Other founding partners of the Manchester initiative include Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester Museum, Auto Trader, Manchester Digital and GMAST (a network of arts and cultural organisations working to contribute to the city’s climate ambitions.)
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment, said: “Earning recognition as the country’s first Carbon Literate City is going to require a step change in the number of organisations getting on board and spreading the word in their own sectors.“This has never been a city to shy away from challenges and we hope that this title will become the latest in a long line of Manchester firsts.
"What really matters here is not the title itself but what it will mean in terms of the number of individuals and organisations who are aware of the issues and the positive actions they can take to help address them.
“The city can only reach its zero carbon goals through collective local, regional and national effort. Having a more informed and engaged population is an important step.”
Dave Coleman, Co-founder and Managing Director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said: “Given our origins and our deep roots in the city, it comes as no surprise that it is Manchester that has stepped up, built on all its existing hard work, and publicly declared it's ambition to be the very first certified Carbon Literate Locality.
“Globally more than 100,000 citizens are already certified as being Carbon Literate, but of these, more than 10,000 live, work and study in Manchester.
“The Manchester Carbon Literate City initiative brings together people and organisations already acting on climate in the city, to further help and support each other, and bring others along with them. Working together in this way makes our collective action on climate easier, faster and cheaper, and in Manchester at least, demonstrates that truly “the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts”.
More information about the Manchester Carbon Literate City initiative is available at carbonliteracy.com/mclc and about Carbon Literacy itself at carbonliteracy.com. The latest public Carbon Literacy courses are available at the Project’s events page.