Who Are the Somerset Climate Action Network? – Research

The Network

The Somerset Climate Action Network or ‘Somerset CAN’ as they are more commonly branded are a self-proclaimed “resource for all aspects of local climate action” and so are broadly speaking, an organisation of smaller entities committed to bettering our ecological environment, through local organisations dedicated to carbon neutrality by the year 2030 in the County of Somerset at the very least.

The Somerset Climate Action Network are a community-based organisation who are focused on being the ambassadors of a carbon neutral and ecologically-conscious county and this is especially evident in some of their organisations such as Feed Avalon, Surfers Against Sewage and Green Wedmore who all look to make local differences, doing their bit to set an example for the rest of the counties of England on how to be sustainably conscious and making it clear that climate action is a necessary measure for England as a nation to take, in bettering their ecological environment and encouraging our population to live more sustainably to create a better, cleaner and safer future for the future generations of our planet.

Having said the above, it is important to remember that the Somerset Climate Action Network might be a local organisation, spanning only as far as Somerset, but their ambitions are shared with millions around the world, with the Somerset Climate Action Network having a desire for change and wanting to create a carbon-neutral environment like many other organisations, like GreenPeace for example.

The Website

The Somerset Climate Action Network’s website is detailed and informative, with an introductory page greeting you upon clicking the link for the website, which mentions the Somerset Climate Action Network’s goals for the future, going into detail about their mission to achieve county-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, which a fifth of the way down the line in 2022, does seem somewhat possible if there is a positive correlation of local progress to further develop our achievements in carbon neutrality. While I personally can see this as a possibility in a more rural county like Somerset or Cornwall for example, I struggle to see how much of this sort of progress can be made in a county such as Manchester or Greater London, which is much more urbanised and relies far more heavily on the profits of non-renewable energy, especially in politics, governing bodies and industries, which goes to show how much connection non-renewable energy, such as coal-mines and gas-energy has to our government. The website displays in great detail, that the purpose of the Somerset Climate Action Network is to empower individuals who feel that their voices should be heard, validating the feelings of those anxious about the future of their planet and the climate crisis.

Another profoundly notable point of interest in the website is ‘The Network’, a sub-menu within the homepage of the website which when selected, will take you to a list of all of the organisations within the Somerset Climate Action Network and give you a brief overview of the basic information regarding the organisation, as well as a link which when selected, will take you to the website of the organisation, should you wish to learn more about them. The website also makes it clear that seeing as a lot of the work is voluntary, anyone can get involved if they are willing.

The Future

The Somerset Climate Action Network are committed to creating a carbon-neutral future for Somerset and ensuring that Somerset as a county can lead by example to the rest of the nation, pioneering the transition from non-renewables to renewables, from environmentally harmful to sustainable and from destructive to innovative.

The Somerset Climate Action Network have a strategy which they are hoping to put into place to reach their goals by 2030. The plans that Somerset CAN have are as follows;

• Increase collaboration between civil society organisations, businesses and public sector bodies, with the aim of increasing the scope and effectiveness of policies to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate effects already in the system.
• Empower and upskill 1,000 climate action champions through the Somerset Climate Action Networkers scheme by 2025.
• Ensure an evidence-based approach is followed for setting and monitoring the climate change targets Somerset CAN recommends.
• Be a ‘Carbon Smart’ organisation, by applying our resources in the most carbon and financially efficient way possible. While developing ‘Carbon Literacy’ among network members and Somerset’s key organisations.