Climate Action Now (CAN) Summit 2024 in Stockport: Are We Doing Enough?

Stockport's Climate Action Now (CAN) Summit 2024 represents a year of progress in sustainability for Stockport, but are we doing enough to halt the climate crisis?

I had the pleasure of attending the CAN Summit 2024 in Stockport, United Kingdom this week. This event brought together councillors, businesses, charities, and passionate members of the public to discuss what we are doing and what we can do about the climate crisis. 

A large town hall, a man in front of a stage speaking from a lecturn, tables of people, powerpoint with 'Cllr Mark Roberts'



I was most impressed by the morning talks, which mentioned what Stockport has already done since last year's summit including discussions with young people and a fund for businesses. This is an important feature that is all too often missed in initiatives like these: accountability. 

Stockport charities and social enterprises presented the creative ways they were helping not just the climate but the communities affected. These included:
  • Preloved, a second hand uniform shop with a trendy twist; 
  • Stockroom, an upcoming library-art gallery-town hall coming to Stockport town centre next spring, 
  • Plastic Shed, who makes furniture out of discarded plastic;
  • The Carbon Literacy Project, who runs training about carbon emissions;
  • A local primary school measuring food waste with a goal to reduce it.
I was impressed by the huge range of these endeavours. Stockport is an area the values community, and demonstrates this every day with community events, support, and a friendly neighbourhood vibe. This ethos was at the heart of each of these projects: community members using their unique skills and perspectives to make a difference. 

I attended the panel sessions on 'Climate Health and Inequities' and 'How Can We Grow Green Skills in Stockport?'. I was struck by a quote from one of the panellists: 
The lived experience of climate change is health.
I had no idea how the climate crisis could affect our health and will be looking into the specific health effects in a future blog. Hearing from experts about the impact that the changing climate will have on their industries is fascinating, and we're lucky Stockport has many industries with people who are invested in making a change like construction, tech, and art. One way the construction industry is making a change is working with Stockport College to train students in sustainable building techniques like installing heat pumps, which will help the environment and improve job prospects for graduates. 

It was so encouraging to hear from hundreds of people who haven't yet given up on planet Earth - climate fatigue is a real problem - and are spreading positivity through their work in sustainability. Stockport Council has a goal of hitting net-zero carbon emissions by 2038 (14 years from now) and with this energy, I have no doubt they will hit their goal. 

There was one talk that mentioned the dire situation we were in - Phil Korbel from The Carbon Literacy Project. Talking about carbon emissions, he emphasised that change had to be now, and it had to be big. There's no room for procrastination. Over the day, I felt uneasy about the positivity in the room knowing about the greater problems of the energy industry, the fast fashion industry, and many others who have no intent to stop pollution, emissions, or waste. How do we balance the positivity that comes from the projects showcased today with the urgency to slow the emissions that are killing our planet? In 14 years time, we might be looking at a very different experience of living on planet Earth, with extreme weather, climate refugees, and increased inequality. The Paris Agreement may have been and gone. Are we doing enough, and what happens if we fall short?

This sense of dread accompanies every step of sustainability progress, and it's a natural consequence of looking a huge and terrible problem in the eye. If this feeling spurs you to take action -  protest, join a charity, run for office, or affect change in your industry - run with it. Individual action with the power of community like we have here in Stockport is the basis of change. Each person at CAN 2024 has wrestled with climate change and decided to step up and make the difference they can, and it was brilliant to see. 

"Are we doing enough?" is a question for scientists and governments. If you want to make a difference like the brilliant organisations in Stockport, all you need to ask is "What can I do?"


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