Inspired by the power of community climate action in York and North Yorkshire

An extraordinary amount of climate action is already happening across York and North Yorkshire, as the Community Climate Conference in York last Saturday revealed.

The all-day event, run by Community First Yorkshire and presented by North Yorkshire Climate Coalition with York Friends of the Earth, Village Green and York Environment Forum, brought together community groups, local leaders, climate organisations, village halls and changemakers to share ideas, learn from one another and explore what meaningful climate action looks like in practice.

Seeing the commitment, creativity and determination within our communities was both inspiring and humbling.

What struck me most was the sense of collective purpose in the room. While the challenges we face are significant, the conversations throughout the day were grounded in hope, action, and a shared recognition that change happens when people come together.

Hearing from Nigel Topping, Chair of government advisory body the Climate Change Committee, and York Central MP Rachael Maskell, alongside local councillors, practitioners and volunteers already driving change in their communities, brought valuable national and local perspectives to the discussions.

Powerful messages

Some powerful themes emerged throughout the day:

• Use your power and agency—every decision, conversation and action matters. If we want things to change, we can’t afford to be the silent majority.
• Challenge misinformation with facts. As one speaker put it, “Truth is expensive, but lies are cheap”.
• Climate action must be rooted in justice, inclusion and intergenerational thinking. It was great to have a member of the York Youth Council with us; their perspective was a valuable reminder of the importance of bringing different generations into these conversations.
• We need both top-down leadership and bottom-up action – and, crucially, they need to connect.
• Nature recovery, community wellbeing and climate resilience are deeply interconnected.
• Stories matter. How we communicate climate action is often just as important as the action itself when it comes to engaging others.
• Be bold in your vision and seize opportunities to help build the future you want to see.
• Climate change doesn’t create inequalities, it amplifies them. For example, it can directly disrupt access to nutritious food and deepen existing vulnerabilities.

Preparing for climate impacts

I was delighted to co-facilitate the Preparing for the Impacts of Climate Change workshop with David Howlett, Kirkby Malham Parish Councillor and Director of Malham Climate Resilience Services Ltd, a former Senior Adviser on Resilience to the Climate Change High Level Champions, and Jos Holmes, Climate Change Strategy Manager at North Yorkshire Council.

David shared the national picture, drawing on the Climate Change Committee’s latest assessment of UK climate risks. I explored what those risks could mean for communities across York and North Yorkshire, and why connecting existing initiatives is so important for building long-term resilience, while Jos outlined how North Yorkshire Council is developing its adaptation strategy and supporting practical action on the ground.

The discussion that followed was full of energy, insight and practical ideas. Participants highlighted the need to raise awareness of climate risks and support communities to develop adaptation plans that reflect local circumstances. Sharing examples of successful adaptation projects was seen as equally important, helping communities learn from one another and build confidence to act. A recurring theme was that many of the solutions already exist. We just need to make them more visible, accessible and connected.

Climate Commission role

Strong representation from Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission throughout the day—including Director Rosa Foster, Commissioner Jan Thornton MBE, Associate Dr Deborah Trebilco and our new North Yorkshire Vice-Chair Cllr Jenny Kent — highlighted the importance of collaboration across the region. During the closing panel, Rosa, Jan, Lucy Allis (from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority) and Cllr David Hugill (North Yorkshire Council) left us with a simple but powerful message: recognise the power you already have and use it. Through our choices, our advocacy and our influence, we can all help shape the decisions that matter.

It was also great to catch up with several of our project partners and collaborators, including Village Green, a key partner in our work with Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP) on community climate action; Zero Carbon Harrogate, who contributed insight and connections to the Sport Sustainability Network pilot project; and Circular Malton and Norton, whose perspectives recently enriched one of our YHCC Regional Policy Forums. Reconnecting with so many people doing important work in their communities was a powerful reminder of the expertise, commitment and collaboration that already exists across the region.

The challenge now is not to generate more energy—it already exists in abundance. It is to connect it more effectively, so that ideas, skills and successful approaches can spread further and faster across the region and beyond.

Muriel Bonjean Stanton is a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and leads the Accelerating Adaptive Action Programme for the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission.