Recommended by Julia Waterlow of TTL:

Zero Carbon Britain

It’s easy to feel despairing but there are serious and realistic solutions such as the Zero Carbon Britain report by the well-respected Centre for Alternative Technology which demonstrates that a zero carbon Britain is entirely possible.  The Executive Summary is worth looking at for a starter.

With thanks to South East Climate Alliance for the following information:

Absolute Zero 

This is another scenario planning study that’s just come out, this time from the UK-FIRES consortium led by scientists from Cambridge University.  It looks at the challenges of reaching zero emissions in the UK by 2050, again using current technology.  It takes more of a global perspective than ZCB and has more detail on the challenges facing industry and those relating to aviation and international shipping, which are conveniently omitted from the UK Committee on Climate Change’s reports.

Ashden Co-Benefits Toolkit

Ashden has produced a comprehensive Climate Action Co-Benefits Toolkit which looks at actions councils can take, but highlighting the spin-off benefits they will bring in terms of better health, improved economy, increased equity and resilience. It draws on successful examples from projects that won Ashden Awards and makes the point that the climate narrative needs to be stressing these positives, not just the risks and dangers of climate change.

Building on this work, Ashden has also teamed up with Friends of the Earth to put together an evidence-based list of the 31 most effective actions councils can take on climate, building on the earlier FOE 33 Actions for Councils and highlighting the co-benefits and costs associated with each. If you like spreadsheets, this is the one for you.