Please note that the following books, reports and articles are not under the control of Stretton Climate Care. We believe that they are of interest. We do not necessarily endorse every opinion in an external publication.
Books
These books have been recommended by our Members.
2021
David Attenborough A Life on our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the future. Ebury Press, October 2020, 272 pages. ISBN 978-1529108279.
Mike Berners-Lee There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years. Cambridge University Press, January 2021, revised edition, 336 pages. ISBN 978-1108821575.
Mark Carney Value(s): Building a Better World for All. William Collins, March 2021, 608 pages. ISBN 978-0008421090.
Elizabeth Kolbert Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future. Bodley Head, March 2021, 256 pages. ISBN 978-1847925442.
Matthew Lawrence and Laurie Laybourn-Langton Planet on Fire: A Manifesto for the Age of Environmental Breakdown. Verso, London 2021, 288 pages. ISBN: 978-1-78873-877-4
Michael E Mann The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet. Publicaffairs, February 2021, 368 pages. ISBN 978-1541758230.
2020
Paul Behrens The Best of times, The Worst of times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science. The Indigo Press, September 2020, 352 pages. ISBN 978-1911648093.
Christina Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac The Future We Choose. Manilla Press, February 2020, 240 pages. ISBN 78-1838770822.
Chris Goodall What We Need To Do Now: for a Zero Carbon Future. Profile Books, London, February 2020, 224 pages. ISBN 9781788164771
Dieter Helm. How we Stop Causing Climate Change. William Collins, September 2020, 304 pages. ISBN: 978 0008404468
Jason Hickel Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World. William Heinemann, August 2020, 336 pages. ISBN 978-1785152498.
2019
Rob Hopkins From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create theFuture we Want. Chelsea Green Publishing, October 2019, 224 pages. ISBN 978-1603589055.
Naomi Klein On fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal. Allen Lane, September 2019, 320 pages. ISBN 78-0241410721.
Bill McKibben Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? Wildfire, April 2019, 304 pages. ISBN 978-1472266507
Greta Thunberg No One is too Small to Make a Difference. Allen Lane, November 2019, 144 pages. ISBN 978-0241453445.
2017
Kate Raworth Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to This Like a 21st-Century Economist. Random House, April 2017, 384 pages. ISBN 978-1847941374.
And do take a look at this extensive reading list from Neil Kitchen if you’d like to plunge into some more green reading. He describes it as “A list of environmental books with a positive educational message – fiction or non-fiction – climate change, nature and rewilding.”
29 June 2022 Climate Change Committee. 2022 progress Report to Parliament. The CCC’s annual assessment of UK progress in reducing emissions.
4 April 2022 Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Working Group III Contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
21 October 2021 Environmental Audit Committee. Green Jobs. Third Report of Session 2021-22.
19 October 2021 Zero emission vehicles: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report. Fifth Special Report of Session 2021-22 of the Transport Committee.
October 2021 Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener.
14 September 2021 The Chatham House Climate change risk assessment 2021
7 August 2021 IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
28 July 2021 Zero emission vehicles. First Report of Session 2021–22. Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report of the Transport Committee.
14 July 2021 Department for Transport. Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain.
14 July 2021 The Green paper proposing options for a carbon dioxide (CO2) regulatory framework for all new road vehicles in the UK. The consultation closed on 22 September 2021
14 July 2021 Department for Transport. Transitioning to zero emission cars and vans: 2035 delivery plan.
14 July 2021 Electric Vehicle Smart Charging. Government response to the 2019 consultation of electric vehicle smart charging.
14 July 2021 IPPR Environmental Justice Commission Fairness and opportunity: A people-powered plan for the green transition
6 July 2021 BEIS Climate Assembly UK: where are we now?
June 2021. 2021 Progress Report to Parliament: the CCC’s annual assessment of UK progress in reducing emissions and biennial assessment of progress in adapting to climate change. This double report – Progress in reducing emissions and Progress in adapting to climate change -provides a comprehensive overview of the UK Government’s progress to date on reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. Together, in a Joint Recommendations report, the assessment offers more than 200 policy recommendations covering every part of Government.
June 2021 Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk: Advice to Government. For the UK’s Third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3)
May 2021 COP26: A visual guide
May 2021 “Next steps”: Climate Action Plan for the Ludlow Constituency to reach Net Zero by 2030. South Shropshire climate Action.
28 April 2021 PublicFirst Options for Energy Bill Reform.
22 March 2021 Environmental Audit Committee. Energy Efficiency of Existing Homes. Fourth Report of the Session 2019–21. Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report.
15 March 2021 Department for Transport. Bus Back Better: National Bus Strategy for England.
1 March 2021 House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. Achieving Net Zero: Forty-Sixth Report of Session 2019–21
January 2021 UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2020
December 2020 The Energy White Paper: Powering our Net Zero Future
December 2020 Shropshire Council Towards Zero Carbon. Low Carbon Projects
December 2020 The Sixth Carbon Budget The UKs path to Net Zero
December 2020 Policies for the Sixth Carbon Budget and Net Zero
December 2020 The Sixth Carbon Budget Methodology Report
1 November 2020 Books, reports for jump-starting U.S. climate action in 2021
October 2020 Climate Change Committee Corporate and Business Plan 2020-2023.
October 2020 Why the planning system needs to be at the heart of delivering the UK’s climate change targets
September 2020 Shropshire Council secures funding for electric vehicles charging trial
September 2020 You can’t always get what you want: a reflection on Climate Assembly UK’s deliberations on decarbonising passenger transport
September 2020 The path to net zero: Climate Assembly UK Full report
August 2020 Funding secured for ‘smart’ electric vehicle charging project
August 2020 Smart meter electric vehicle charging competition – winning projects
July 2020 Climate Change Committee. The Sixth Carbon Budget & Welsh emissions targets Summary of responses to Call for Evidence.
July 2020 Six Months on a Planet in Crisis: Greta Thunberg’s travel Diary from the U.S to Davos
July 2020 SCC Response – Future support for low carbon heat
July 2020 Department for Transport. Cycle infrastructure design. Local Transport Note 1/20.
July 2020 A Green Stimulus for Housing: The macroeconomic impacts of a UK whole house retrofit programme
June 2020 Climate Change Committee. Reducing UK emissions: 2020 Progress Report to Parliament
June 2020 Climate Change Committee. COVID-19 can be an historic turning point in tackling the global climate crisis.
June 2020 BEIS. Notice on Changes to RHI Support and COVID-19 Response
June 2020 Environmental Audit Committee letter to Chancellor on post COVID recovery
June 2020 Electric vehicles: the future we made and problem of unmaking it
June 2020 UK Government. 25 year Environment Plan progress report to March 2020
March 2020 Department for Transport. Decarbonising Transport: Setting the Challenge
May 2020 UK’s Largest Gas Replacement Project Bringing Ground Source Heating To Sunderland Apartment Blocks
May 2020 Exeter Energy Policy Group blog. Heat- a policy chasm on the route towards net-zero.
February 2020 Nine ‘tipping points’ that could be triggered by climate change
2020 Climate stories that work: Six ways to change hearts and minds about climate change
December 2019 Shropshire Climate Change Strategy Framework: A Route Map to a Zero Carbon Shropshire
December 2019 Centre for Sustainable Energy. Bristol net zero by 2030: the evidence base
October 2019 Climate Change Committee. Behaviour change, public engagement and Net Zero. A report for the Committee on Climate Change
September 2019 IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
July 2019 Climate Change Committee. Progress in preparing for climate change: 2019 Report to Parliament
July 2019 Climate Change Committee. Reducing UK emissions: 2019 Progress Report to Parliament
July 2019 Shropshire Hills AONB Management Plan 2019-24
May 2019 Climate Change Committee. Net Zero: The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming
December 2018 More than electric cars: Why we need to reduce traffic to reach carbon targets
October 2018 IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 deg C (SR15)
2018 Unlocking sustainable cities: A manifesto for real change
In 2018, delegates to COP 24, which was hosted in Katowice, Poland, adopted a comprehensive rulebook, fleshing out the operational details of the Paris Agreement.
November 2016 The Paris Agreement entered into force
December 2015 What is the Paris Agreement?
December 2015 The Paris Agreement
October 2006 The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review A landmark study.
Some websites of interest
Please note that these sites are not under the control of Stretton Climate Care. The links are posted because we believe that they are of interest. We do not necessarily endorse every opinion posted on a website.
Energy cost calculator
It’s so much more expensive for providers to buy energy, which has led to it costing more for us to power our homes and businesses. GoCompare have developed an interactive energy cost calculator tool to find out how much something costs to run.
Use their calculator to pick the appliances you want to compare, and select how long they’ll be in use for, and you can work out the cheapest options.
Shropshire and Herefordshire climate action groups
South Shropshire Climate Action Focussing on south Shropshire and working with the Shropshire Climate Action Partnership. Many individuals are working in both organisations and we will work together to achieve a Zero Carbon Shropshire by 2030. We aren’t waiting to get started and our report in April will feature best practice wherever it is, near or far, if we feel it has potential for our area.
SCAP – Shropshire Climate Action Partnership (Zero Carbon Shropshire) SCAP has published Version 1.2 of the Zero Carbon Shropshire Plan. Developed through the intensive efforts of over 100 volunteers from all walks of Shropshire life and supported by an extensive network of local enterprises, community groups, councils, charities and other public sector and private sector organisations. The plan captures the ongoing ‘work in progress’ being undertaken through seven working groups.
Marches Energy Agency An independent regional charity employing advisers and working with several Councils in the Midlands. Their overriding objective is to support householders by delivering practical solutions. In this area there are over 75,000 households struggling to stay warm, and with partners, MEA are working to reduce fuel poverty and cold homes, promote energy reduction and encourage the uptake of renewable energy: Keep Shropshire Warm.
The Shropshire Council Climate Emergency Resource Pack is a climate emergency county toolkit for community groups and all stakeholders (public and commercial sectors alike). This pack acts as a climate action reference manual listing measures that can be taken to both mitigate and adapt to the climate emergency. The intended readers and associated groups are wide ranging – Climate-Pack
Kington Local Energy & Environment Network
Lightfoot – Bishop’s Castle
Sustainable Newport (previously Newport 21)
Shropshire Against Pointless Plastic (SAPP)
Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth
greenshropshirexchange The Environment network of local groups in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin promoting communication and education on the subjects of Climate Change and Sustainable Living. Well worth taking a look at their page of links GSX Useful Links
The Great Collaboration In 2019, The Great Collaboration started working with local communities to help everyone to act on climate and nature. Their online platform is home to the Greener Footprints Toolkit, a collection of actions that you can use as tools to reduce your carbon emissions. The Toolkit is designed to collect information about carbon reduction actions in the local community, data which will inform local environmental policy. The data can in turn be fed upwards to influence policy at regional and national levels. The Great Collaboration is a partnership project between Herefordshire Green Network, Caplor Horizons and Fownhope Parish Council. It has been funded by the MCS Foundation.
Recycling and rubbish Shropshire Council have updated their recycling and rubbish page – worth taking a look.
The Connexus Warmer Homes Project Thirty two of our houses (plus some additional flats) in Herefordshire and 80 homes in Shropshire will be fitted with high-quality external wall insulation, limiting heat loss and helping the home to be more comfortable to live in. Effectively insulating a home while ensuring proper ventilation also limits the effects of condensation and damp, which can be an all-too-common concern in rural homes.
Herefordshire New Leaf A small charitable co-op, whose aim is to promote sustainable living in Herefordshire and beyond, working to reduce Herefordshire’s carbon footprint.
Green Schools Project Working with hub schools across Herefordshire and the Marches, The Marches Climate Education Group is a collection of likeminded schools who are passionate about the climate crisis and want to take action. It is run by teachers, for teachers. The lead teachers are there to support and guide neighbouring schools in their journey to become more sustainable.
Climate action groups nationwide
Carbon Neutral Cornwall 2030 Hive
The Carbon Neutral Cornwall ‘Hive’ is Cornwall’s new online resource to help you find out what other people are doing to help tackle climate change, and where you can share your own ideas, and information about your carbon neutral projects and activities.
Meet the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership
An exciting and ambitious new programme will soon be under way aiming to make Cumbria the first carbon-neutral county in the UK. Thanks to a £2.5 million grant from the National Lottery Climate Action Fund, a five-year programme of events and activities will start in January 2021, led by the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership.
What Zero Waste Scotland can offer community groups Zero Waste Scotland recognises that behaviour change on issues around waste can often be most effectively achieved through community engagement at a local level … supports the work of community groups through our Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme funded by Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support projects involving waste and circular economy activities, or installation of energy efficient measures in community-owned buildings.
Zero Carbon Yorkshire A not for profit organisation developing a good carbon practice network. We support people, groups and organisations in the region to reduce their carbon footprints. Our aim is to bring together Yorkshire communities to co-produce a roadmap for a climate-smart, successful, sustainable and resilient county; making Yorkshire a leading light in the fight against climate change. Our objectives are to promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the environment by building a Yorkshire-wide movement committed to transitioning the Yorkshire region towards zero-carbon, in a way that is socially and economically just.
UK100, a network of highly ambitious local government leaders, who have pledged to secure the future for their communities by shifting to 100% clean energy by 2050. Local leaders are working together to create flourishing communities, seizing the opportunities of technology to create jobs and establishing a nationwide project of renewal, focussed on local needs and ambitions. The Countryside Climate Network amplifies the rural voice as part of our national policy advocacy Countryside Climate Network.
National Resources: Schools, Energy, Buildings, Transport, Plastics waste, Public engagement
Let’s go zero 2030: schools working together to be zero carbon
Let’s Go Zero brings together UK schools who want to be zero carbon, are reducing their own climate impact, and demanding greater UK government support to achieve this goal. The campaign will show national government that there is a substantial demand amongst teachers and pupils to become zero carbon, with the potential for schools to catalyse wider change in their communities.
Ashden: Climate solutions in Action ‘Parent’ to Let’s go Zero. Climate champions, organisations on the frontline of the climate crisis, are creating something extraordinary. A planet powered by low-carbon start-ups, bold green policies, liveable cities, better work and clean energy for all. We help these innovators attract investment and funding, build their networks, and create radical change. We do this because we believe in them, and their vision of a cleaner, fairer, healthier world.
An independent national charity initiated in 1979:
Our vision is a world where sustainability is second nature, carbon emissions have been cut to safe levels and fuel poverty has been replaced by energy justice.
Our mission is to share our knowledge and practical experience to empower people to change the way they think and act about energy.
We do this by giving advice, managing innovative energy projects, training and supporting others to act, and undertaking research and policy analysis. At any one time we have around 60 different and separately-funded projects underway. All of these are helping people and communities to meet real needs for both environmentally sound and affordable energy services. We are based in Bristol although much of our work has relevance and impact across the UK. Our clients and funders include national, regional and local government and associated agencies, and companies in the energy sector.
Well worth taking a look at their Resources page and Advice leaflets all available to download.
Climate Outreach Our organisation was founded in 2004 as the first British charity to focus exclusively on public engagement with climate change. We’re proud of the impact we’re having, which you can learn more about in our 2019 Annual review.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation We’re a charity committed to creating a circular economy, which is designed to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. It’s an economic system that delivers better outcomes for people, and the environment.
Energy Saving Trust Energy Saving Trust provides leadership and expertise to deliver a zero carbon society. Work with individuals, business, communities and governments to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. To address the challenge of reaching zero carbon targets, we need to reduce our energy consumption, install new infrastructure and accelerate a move to sustainable, low carbon lifestyles.
We provide advice and support to promote the transition to a smart, decarbonised, decentralised energy system. We focus on homes, communities and transport to deliver the wider societal and environmental benefits of energy saving, while actively mitigating climate change.
Save Energy, Save Money We have a team of advisers and technical specialists, on standby, to help you implement meaningful change and achieve serious savings – an average of 24% on energy bills. We offer free, impartial support to small and medium-sized Scottish businesses providing:
- A free energy opportunities assessment, at your convenience, to identify where and how savings can be made;
- A comprehensive report – written for you, highlighting key actions you can take now, at no cost, and signposting major changes, and how to access support, further advice and financing.Whether you are just starting out on your energy planning and reduction journey, or have already made progress, we offer a free, accommodating service that will support you every step of the way.
FutureLearn: Discover solutions to climate change One of a wide range of short online courses offered by this organisation. FutureLearn partners with top international universities and specialist organisations to offer online courses and degrees from science and engineering through literature, the arts and humanities.
The Passivhaus Trust, an independent, non-profit organisation that provides leadership in the UK for the adoption of the Passivhaus standard and methodology. Passivhaus is the leading international low energy, design standard. Over 65,000 buildings have been designed, built and tested to this standard worldwide. The Trust aims to promote Passivhaus as a highly effective way of providing high standards of occupant comfort and health as well as reducing energy use and carbon emissions from buildings in the UK.
Transport for New Homes We believe that everyone should have access to attractive housing, located and designed to ensure that people do not need to use or own cars to live a full life. We therefore support new housing that promotes walking, cycling and public transport and avoids dependence on cars. Equally, we oppose developments that will not achieve this outcome.
sustrans Custodians of the National Cycle Network, a UK-wide network of traffic-free paths for everyone, connecting cities, towns and countryside, loved by the communities they serve.
Centre for Reseach into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) Working with researchers, businesses & policy makers, the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions supports the transition to a low-carbon energy system.
Office for Low Emission Vehicles The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) a cross-party government team, supporting the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV). We are providing over £900 million to position the UK at the global forefront of ULEV development, manufacture and use. This will contribute to economic growth and will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution on our roads.
Air Quality Expert Group The AQEG provides independent scientific advice on air quality to Defra, in particular the air pollutants contained in the Air Quality Strategy (AQS) for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and those covered by the EU Directives on Ambient Air Quality.
Green Schools Project Mission: To enable young people to fulfil their potential by providing resources and support to schools to engage them in environmental projects, building their skills and aspirations while encouraging them, their community and wider society to live in a more sustainable way.
Speaking up for rural communities ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is the national voice for our 38 member organisations who make up the country’s largest rural network. Together, we reach 52,000 grassroots organisations in 11,000 rural communities.
Climate Research activity
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, a unique partnership between the universities of East Anglia (Headquarters), Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Sussex and Fudan University in Shanghai. Founded in 2000 to conduct cutting edge, interdisciplinary research, and provide a conduit between scientists and policymakers. With nearly 200 members ranging from PhD researchers to Professors, the Tyndall Centre represents a substantial body of the UK’s climate change expertise from across the scientific, engineering, social science and economic communities.
Other County-wide Climate Emergency Groups
Community Energy Groups
Shropshire and Telford Community Energy (STCE) STCE is being set up as a Community Benefit Society to develop and own community energy projects in Shropshire and Telford. One of the first projects that STCE are looking at, is the Twemlows Solar Farm near Whitchurch. This 10MW scheme was built in 2015 using private finance but is now looking for a new home in the community sector.
Pomona Solar Co-operative, harnessing the power of the sun for the benefit of people in Herefordshire.
Big Solar Co-op, a new approach to subsidy-free community solar from the ground up, supported by Sharenergy. We’re working with community solar groups across the UK on an approach which:
- Makes solar viable on a huge range of sites even in the absence of Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs)
- Empowers and supports volunteers to work together to get it built
- Works towards the alleviation of climate change through large-scale, grassroots community action
Bath & West Community Energy, BWCE is a not for profit community benefit society, owned and run by our members for the benefit of the community. Our vision is for a local area able to supply decreasing local energy demand with increasing generation from renewable energy, driven by collective action and community ownership. Our focus has been on developing clean local energy, community-owned for the common good.
CREW Energy, CREW Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative made up of south-west Londoners who care about making this corner of London a more resilient and sustainable community. By helping community groups and individuals across the boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton and Lambeth access low-carbon solutions, our volunteers are helping to reduce the carbon emissions of the capital.
SELCE (South East London Community Energy Ltd) Since 2010, community groups all over the country have started to take a different approach when it comes generating energy. The Community Energy England website reveals the huge benefits that these projects that not only generate their own energy but control how it is used as well. To accelerate the transition to a sustainable future in SE London, we formed Selce as a co-operative for the benefit of the community.
Land and Biodiversity
Middle Marches Community Land Trust We are a community-led Trust based in the Middle Marches committed to the promotion and development of sustainable and environmentally responsible agriculture that supports a thriving natural world. Our Vision is to help create an ecologically healthy and sustainable countryside in the hills of the Middle Marches to inspire both residents and visitors. For more detail, do take a look at The Hub
The Shropshire Hills contain two large upland nature reserves, the Long Mynd, owned and managed by the National Trust and the Stiperstones, owned and managed by Natural England. The two organisations decided together that there was a good opportunity to establish a project to create linkages between the two sites which, together with improved management, would help make them bigger, better and joined – key aspirations for improving England’s network of protected sites. The project is called ‘Stepping Stones’ (see below).
Stepping Stones Project Stepping Stones is a National Trust-led programme of landscape-scale environmental projects in the Shropshire Hills. Their 50-year vision is for natural habitats in the Shropshire Hills to be restored, healthy and connected, and for the people who live, work and play in this remarkable area to understand and support our efforts.
Slow the Flow Shropshire Wildlife Trust project: Natural flood management to reduce the downstream maximum water height of a flood (the flood peak) or to delay the arrival of the flood peak downstream, increasing the time available to prepare for floods. The myriad Slow the Flow items work together, helping to reduce flow rate in the valley, under storm events. This is achieved by restricting the progress of water through a catchment in 3 ways:
- Increasing soil infiltration and allowing water to soak away.
- Storing water by using natural features such as ponds, ditches or low lying land or by creating new ponds and areas to store water.
- Slowing water by increasing resistance to flow. For example, by planting trees on the floodplain or constructing “leaky dams” in channels.
Marches Meadow Group A small, enthusiastic group of local smallholders living in the Stiperstones and Cordon Hill area of the Welsh Marches, who are interested in the management and conservation of wildflower rich hay meadows.
Herefordshire Meadows An informal network of meadow owners managing and conserving flower rich grassland … 61 Herefordshire Meadows members are now supported by Natural England as a Facilitation Fund Group. We work collaboratively across the whole of the Herefordshire landscape holding events and discussions on how to manage, create and restore meadows to benefit wildlife, soil and water quality, historic features, natural flood management and livestock farming businesses.
The International Picture
The European Green Deal provides an action plan to
- boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy
- restore biodiversity and cut pollution
The plan outlines investments needed and financing tools available. It explains how to ensure a just and inclusive transition. The EU aims to be climate neutral in 2050.
