Climate change and the environment

Includes useful websites, publications and resources

London Funders' Publications
The arts can help to save the planet
(2011) CCLA sponsored Powerful Ideas No 6, Clare Cooper, Director and Co-Founder Mission Models Money

The funders' footprint
(2010) Climate change and the environment-how can funders have an impact?

Resources – useful organisations and websites
Climate change microsite   
Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s microsite on climate change looks at the intersection of poverty and environmental issues, e.g. recent research highlighted on the site shows that current initiatives to reduce carbon use have had a negative impact on the poorest households in the UK and better targeting could help fuel-poor households as well as aid the transition to a low-carbon society. Improving the energy efficiency of low income households will reduce their demand for heating and electricity and subsequently lower bills, while simultaneously contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions.

The Environmental Funders Network (EFN) is an informal network of trusts, foundations and individuals making grants on environmental and conservation issues. 

The City Bridge Trust’s Greening the Third Sector Initiative and its programme to encourage voluntary organisations to undertake and follow up eco-audits.

External Publications
An unexamined truth
Matthew Smerdon, Baring Foundation, 2010
Final report on the  special initiative on climate change and the third sector which supported non-environmental voluntary organisations and networks in making connections between the impact of climate change and their primary charitable purpose, and plan how future services could adapt.

Climate change, justice and vulnerability
Published by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2011
This study provides a guide for analysing social vulnerability to the impact of climate change. It shows how we can learn from past UK flooding and heatwaves to measure socio-spatial vulnerability, map geographical distribution of climate disadvantage and support social justice in climate adaptation planning. 

The benefits of eco audits and improved environmental performance
London Voluntary Service Council, 2013
A short and practical paper from LVSC written for the VCS on why commissioning an eco-audit is a good idea and can result in reduced overheads. A useful resource for funders to share with funded bodies.

Environmental inequalities and their impact on the health outcomes of children and young people
National Children’s Bureau, 2012
Summary of key evidence and policy developments in environmental inequality and its impact on children and young people’s health, with analysis of the policy levers for tackling this impact. A tool for local and national work to promote health equality, it covers access to green space, housing, fuel poverty, transport and school environment. 

Extreme weather, extreme prices: the costs of feeding a warming world
Tracy Carty, Oxfam, 2012
A short, powerful report on the current and likely future impact of changing weather patterns (droughts, floods and heat waves) on food security. This research shows how extreme weather events in a single year could bring about price spikes comparable with two decades of long-run price rises. It signals the urgent need for full stress-testing of the global food system in a warming world.

Flooding, drought and heatwave briefing
LVSC and London Sustainability Exchange, 2012
This guide to the impact of floods, drought and heatwaves on London, Londoners and the voluntary and community sector, also explains and links to current national, regional and local policy and makes a number of recommendations for policymakers and the VCS in London.

Fuel-poor households
Association for the Conservation of Energy, 2012
A report showing that funding designed to support fuel poor households is being cut by nearly a third, with potentially serious implications for fuel poor households.

Green cities: Using city deals to drive low carbon growth
Green Alliance, 2012
Report examining the degree to which cities can drive low carbon growth and looks in detail at the city deals process as a means of achieving this.

Green Streets, Strong Communities
Reg Platt, Institute for Public Policy Research, 2011
Report on a series of projects supported by British Gas to improve the energy efficiency of homes and community buildings and put renewable energy technologies to work.

Green Up!
Community Development Foundation, 2009
A practical guide for community and voluntary groups: examples, guide to working with local authorities and a jargon buster.

How big is London's green sector?
GLA Economics 2010
What is meant by “green jobs” and “green technology”, the scale of these in London, and gaps in data and how these might be plugged.

Is localism delivering for climate change?
Faye Scott, Green Alliance, 2011
Explores the impact of the Coalition’s localism agenda on climate change action by head authorities. 

London environment revealed
Joint report of the Greater London Authority, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Natural England, 2011
A comprehensive report into the state of London’s environment. Despite progress in many areas, the report warns that London continues to face big challenges from a growing population and changing climate. 

London's low carbon economy
London Councils, 2010
These case studies are of work in progress across London to tackle climate change and move London nearer a low carbon economy by helping households and businesses reduce their carbon footprint and identifying opportunities presented by the growth and development in low carbon technologies, low carbon businesses, and associated jobs and investment. Six are from individual boroughs: Camden, City of London, Croydon, Haringey, Southwark, Sutton; one an alliance of four East London boroughs and the London Development Agency; and the pan-London programme for retrofitting homes. 

Making local food work
Jennifer Smith, Plunkett Foundation, 2013
Report of a five-year £10 million programme funded by the Big Lottery Fund through its Changing Spaces programme. It helped to co-ordinate and make more robust the fragmented field of community food enterprises – community farms, food co-ops, country markets, community shops. The report describes the change brought about by the programme and lessons learned in a remarkably thorough, clear and lively way, demonstrating the reach of the work and its legacy.

Maximizing impact: an integrated strategy for grantmaking and mission investing in climate change
Mark Kramer, Adeeb Mahmud, Serah Makka, FSG Social Impact Advisors, 2010
An informative and practical guide addressing the issue that few funders have yet developed a comprehensive approach that links mission investing and grantmaking into a single integrated strategy.

Radial diagram of the impact of climate change on London
LVSC, 2012
Diagrammatic version of the effects of global warming on the environment, population and industry of London, intended both to demonstrate the urgency of action to mitigate its impact and to offer ideas of the alliances that could make a difference.

The science behind climate change
LVSC has produced a short briefing that explains in lay terms what is encompassed by the term “climate change” and what this means for us now and in the future. Read other climate change policy briefings on LVSC’s website.

Socially just adaptation to climate change
Jean Welstead et al., Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2012
Review of 35 local authorities’ plans to adapt to the impact of climate change, showing a large variation in content, detail and progress with vulnerable people not a priority in most authorities’ plans. Given that extreme weather events such as floods and droughts will increase, the report shows how planning appropriately now could produce savings for local authorities as well as improved welfare for their populations.
Summary available here. 

Where the green grants went 5
Environmental Funders Network, 2012
A major new report into environmental philanthropy analyses the grantmaking of 147 UK foundations over three years, with new data on the scale of environmental philanthropy, amounts devoted to different environmental issues, which UK regions receive the most funding, and trends. This report offers a real contribution to smarter funding in this field.

 

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