Your say / Climate
‘There are many reasons to be cheerful about climate and nature in Bristol’
‘Tis the season for good tidings – and I’m hoping to share climate and nature ones with Bristol24/7 readers as the year turns and days start getting lighter.
I have reason to believe that our (multi)generation is rising to meet the defining challenge of our time with action that will make life better now and for future generations.
Things are beginning to ‘pop off’ and progress is all around us, even if most good news is buried amidst a constant and often terrifying news cycle. Much of this change is modest, but taken together it’s beginning to feel a lot like system change.
You would never know it from the news, but there is strong evidence that regardless of political affiliation, most people support bold action on climate and nature, especially if it’s fair and improves lives.
In Bristol, 83 per cent of residents report concern about climate change, and that concern is translating into action at every scale, from national and regional to local and neighbourhood level.
Yes of course, it could go further, faster and fairer. But as we reach the end of the year, it feels important to pause and share reasons to be optimistic about a fair, people-centered transition.
Individually, none of the changes below is a silver bullet. But together they show how systems start to shift through policy, infrastructure, investment and people acting at scale.
Policy and strategic leadership
- Our region is the first in the UK to publish a Local Nature Recovery Strategy, supported by the regional Growth Strategy and Bristol City Council’s corporate strategy
- Bristol City Council has refreshed its Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan for 2026-2028, recommitting to ambitious, city-wide climate and nature goals
- Nationally, the Climate Change Committee says the UK’s legally binding 2050 target remains in reach, showing bold government commitment can still drive system-level outcomes
- The first annual Climate and Nature Statement to Parliament was delivered this year, followed by the Climate and Clean Energy Plan and a national public participation plan, Energising Britain
Infrastructure and innovation
- This year, for the first time in history, renewable energy overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity – and its share of the energy market continues to rise
- The new Western Forest will plant 20 million trees and create 2,500 hectares (6,178 acres) of new woodland in the West of England
- £58m of low carbon infrastructure, including a district heat network, is being rolled out across the city through Bristol City Leap
- The Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Ecology Mitigation and Flood Defence Project – the largest of its kind in the West of England’s history – is now underway
Community leadership and participation
- Communities across the city are co-developing community climate and nature plans that deliver local benefits alongside climate and nature outcomes through the Partnership’s Community Climate and Nature Project, with this work expanding to the wider region
- Bristol’s Disabled community has produced what’s thought to be the world’s first community climate action plan by and for Disabled people: The Future Must be Green and Accessible
- Bristol is home to the largest place based environmental network in the world – Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, the organisation I’m proud to work for, which now has over 1,400 member organisations
Funding and investment
- Citizens invested £2m last year through the Bristol Climate Action Investment funding round, supporting retrofit for local respite care homes and schools. Bristol’s round was the largest and fastest of its kind
- BBRC are on track to launch an £100m Green Growth Impact Fund in 2026 – to provide impact investment that mitigates climate change and promotes sustainable economic growth
Behaviour change
- Bristol’s sharing economy is thriving, three Share Bristol Library of Things are now open, with a fourth on its way in Winterbourne. Meanwhile Bristol Waste’s Reuse Shops have helped residents reuse (instead of chuck out) over a third of a million objects. My kids have a kite from one of these shops which cost 25p!
- According to Bristol’s Quality of Life Survey, 68 per cent of residents have created space for nature (which is a huge 14 per cent increase since 2023) and nearly half have reduced what they buy and energy use at home due to concern about climate change
- Bristol 24/7’s Sustainability Legends shortlist provides another massive dose of inspiration; I encourage you to check out all the nominees
- One final, light-related feature of Bristol’s transition – directional LEDs are being rolled out across the city. Have you noticed? They’re not only more energy efficient but they also reduce light pollution, letting us see the stars again and experience a dose of wonder for our home planet – a reminder of why this work matters
There is so much more – but I’m sure you have festive celebrations to get to.
Why does this matter?
Whilst concern about climate change and nature loss is high, it’s not always easy to see what’s actually happening. Not many people know that Bristol’s carbon footprint has reduced by 62 per cent per person (more than half!) between 2005 and 2023, faster than other UK cities of a similar size.
These stories of change are not always deemed newsworthy, but added together they are creating the structures and incentives that will continue to drive climate and nature outcomes for years to come.
There is, of course, (always) more to do. The road ahead requires participation at every level. This need for collaboration provides a chance to plan change well – tackling the climate and nature crises while also improving the economy, life opportunities and community cohesion.
For anyone experiencing a dip in optimism or a rise of eco-anxiety, I’m with you – I feel waves of this at times too. If you feel able, share your reasons for optimism and take action of any type, ideally with others. Big or small, it all helps.
We at Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership bring people together all year round to share perspectives, identify solutions to challenges and take action – and highlight news of positive change via our channels too.
As the sun starts to return for more minutes every day, we’re looking forward to continuing our work in 2026. Please visit our website to find out about some of the great work that is happening and how to get involved in the city’s movement for climate and nature. And we’d love to hear your reasons for optimism!
This is an opinion piece by Lizzi Testani, CEO of Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership.
Main image: Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership
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