Net Zero Innovation Programme launched

A Net Zero Innovation Programme has been launched to address climate challenges at a local level.

Under the programme, led by the Local Government Association and University College London, partnerships of researchers and climate change officers from councils across all the regions in England will work in partnership for an initial period of 12 months. The LGA said that a pilot of the partnership workshops held in April this year, comprising of six pairings of councils and universities, was successful in building the tools and techniques required for this type of collaboration.

The announcement comes as councils across the UK lead action at a local level to reduce carbon emissions, transition to net zero and ultimately improve the quality of life of their residents and the local environment.

Liz Green, vice chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said: “Councils are uniquely placed within their communities to deliver effective climate policies that will improve the lives of their residents. The Net Zero Innovation Programme is another example of how councils are forming partnerships locally to tackle climate change. We look forward to collaborating with UCL to enable all councils to identify projects to tackle climate change and achieve councils’ net zero commitments.”

David Price, Vice Provost Research at UCL, added: “As London’s Global University, UCL recognises that climate change needs to be addressed at a range of scales, and that councils and communities are working hard towards net zero targets in their local areas. We are delighted to be launching this partnership with the LGA to give our researchers and others across the UK an opportunity to share their expertise with local authorities and to address climate challenges at the local level.”