Climate Change Strategy 2023 - 2030 consultation feedback executive summary

How concerned is Coventry about the impacts of Climate Change?

1. The majority of respondents at 81% consider it is ‘very important’ or ‘fairly important’ to think about sustainability and tackle the impacts of climate change. 19% of those that engaged feel that it’s ‘not very important’ or ‘not important at all’.
2. This aligns with the national picture, with a survey undertaken in 2022 by Ipsos Political Monitor which identified 84% of the British public are ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about climate change
3. It is important for us to understand what needs to be done to win the hearts and minds of the 19% of the population who don’t consider sustainability and climate change to be an issue of concern, with a number of comments reflecting some cynicism from this group. Their collective impact of ‘a business-as-usual approach’ could be significant on the City and its ability to address the issues facing the population. Their inaction would not only make it more difficult to achieve the targets but observing their lack of behaviour change could be a significant disincentive to others.
4. Developing an understanding of those that purport that ‘Climate Change isn’t happening or is something that humans have no control over’. This is likely to be complex and require a concerted effort on a number of fronts. The responses include the following perspectives:
   • It includes individuals who felt it was a way of reducing people’s freedoms.
   • Some comments called human-made climate change ‘a scam’, it is a natural process and a waste of taxpayers' money to invest in green initiatives – with examples such as cycle lanes and active travel measures given.
   • There are also comments around the difference between ‘environmental sustainability’ and climate change which shouldn’t be conflated.
   • It is perceived to be a politically driven agenda to control the population, with particular concerns mentioned around 15-minute cities which is suggested could restrict freedom of movement and enforce lifestyle choices that people don’t want to make.
   • There was also feedback that the biggest polluting countries such as China and India should be targeted alongside big corporations rather than the individual who cannot make any meaningful difference.
   • Some cited population growth to be the problem, rather than climate change.
   • Finally, there were some comments that people had bigger issues to worry about than climate change, including energy bills, and that it was too vast an issue to tackle.
5. The above comments provide a helpful insight into some of the more general themes related to the Strategy that are important to people. The feedback will need to be considered to shape the next iteration, alongside the Action Plan and Communications and Engagement Plan going forwards. It is clear that awareness raising and a focus on encouraging behaviour change are going to be key going forward.
6. For those that feel apathy or disagree with climate science and the need for a Climate Change Strategy, the Council will need to look at ways to identify opportunities that will benefit people, regardless of if they consider climate change an issue or not, and work in a transparent way to build trust and buy-in to projects. This could include domestic retrofit which as well as reducing carbon emissions will also save households money on their energy bills, alongside community growing projects so people can benefit from fresh locally grown produce.

What aspects of tackling Climate Change are the most important to people?

1. The online survey asked people to rank in order what aspects related to tackling sustainability and climate change are most important to them.
2. The results in Table 3 below (based on 376 responses) indicate that there is no consistent agreement over which aspects people feel are the most important when it comes to tackling climate change. Respondents ranked ‘to ensure a positive future for the next generation’ as the overall most important aspect in tackling climate change, however equitable development (a Fairer Green transition) received the most 1st place and 7th place rankings. Nature based interventions also appear to be an important aspect for respondents, closely followed by resilient development (this refers to ensuring the urban environment is designed to cope with a changing climate).

3. Table 3. Respondents ranked from 1 to 7, one being most important, what aspects related to tackling climate change and sustainability they considered important.

   Ranked	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th
   Nature Based Pathway- Protect wildlife and avoid extinctions	46	74	85	67	38	33	15
   Resilient Development Pathway - Protect from future global extreme weather	47	64	47	52	55	60	36
   Low Emissions Pathway- Improve quality of life - less air pollution	39	69	36	59	74	59	25
   Equitable Development Pathway - To reduce my cost of living (fuel & Food bills)	97	18	37	32	32	43	105
   Circular Economy Pathway - Reduce Waste/landfill	10	48	69	62	80	63	25
   To ensure a future for next generations	80	64	64	47	40	41	24
   It's the ethical thing to do	48	26	25	41	40	56	116

4. The responses to this question demonstrate the complexity regarding what climate change and sustainability means to people and the issues they hold most important. The 1st and 7th ranking for needing to address inequalities is interesting as it demonstrates a clear polarisation of views with the community and the difficulties the Council is going to have to face in skilfully managing progress. There is no right answer to this question, but it demonstrates the wide range of different areas that the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan needs to address in order to reflect what issues are important to the people of Coventry.
5. This same question, although slightly different* was asked in 5 engagement activities, to include:

   Table 4. Total responses to engagement activities.

   Engagement Activity	Number of Respondents to this question
   Climate Change Strategy Survey on Let’s Talk Coventry	375
   Climate Change Survey - Godiva	11
   Detailed Climate Change Survey on Survey Monkey	24
   Employee Workshop	51
   Coventry University Survey	16

   *The survey on Let’s Talk Coventry offered 7 options for respondents to rank – 5 of these options were relating to each of the pathways. 2 of which were not.

6. The results from all 5 events have been analysed to see which of the five pathways were ranked most important to them. As can be seen from the table below (Table 5) and similarly to the results seen in the Let’s Talk Coventry Survey, the results again demonstrate the complexity regarding what climate change and sustainability means to people and the issues they hold most important. They reflect a similar response to the Let’s Talk Coventry Survey where the Nature Based Pathway is deemed one of the most important to the respondents.

What are the main themes and issues that matter to the people of Coventry?

• Figure 2: Number of comments relating to pathways:
  • Fair green futures: 925 comments
  • Low emissions: 817 comments
  • Circular economy: 429 comments
  • Nature based: 374 comments
  • Adaptation and resilience: 121 comments
• As can be seen from Figure 2, the majority of feedback received related to the Fairer Green Futures pathway, closely followed by Low Emissions. Adaptation and Resilience were the area that received the least comments, alongside feedback of actions people would like to see taken. The detailed themes and issues are explored in more detail in this chapter.
• It is interesting to compare the volume of comments received for the different pathway groups in Figure 2 with what issues are considered to be most important by people in Table 3, as whilst Fairer Green Futures is ranked highest in both, there is variance between the other pathways.
• This could partly be attributable to the questions not fully aligning as Figure 2 doesn’t reference the universal and corporate cross cutting issues. What it does demonstrate again is a wide spread of comments and views across all areas, which is broken down further in Table 6.
• Table 6 (below) illustrates the range of comments received related to different subset themes related to the 5 Pathway Groups across the Strategy and some cross cutting corporate issues.
• A number of comments received relate more broadly to the Climate Change Strategy with some specific references to the Strategy’s rationale, content, suggested actions to be taken, audience and whether it’s fit for purpose.
• One criticism was that the Strategy made little reference to the ‘Coventry Net Zero Route map’ commissioned by the Climate Change Board and produced for the city by Professor Andy Gouldson. Professor Gouldson is a senior climate change advisor to the UK Infrastructure Bank and leading academic in the field of climate change. Information from the Route map was used to assist the development of policies and proposed actions in the Strategy but not referenced as there were significant delays in the finalisation of the Route map and this would have created further delay to the production of the final Strategy as the documents were being produced in parallel.
• The alignment between the documents will be addressed in the final Strategy notably within the Low Emissions and Circular Economy strands of the Strategy in particular.
• Other key comments around the strategy are that it lacks clear targets for delivery on net zero, re-use and recycling and enhancing biodiversity and that it ‘needs to be more ambitious’ and questioning whether net zero is a realistic target and whether the Climate Change Strategy goes far enough to achieve this. The Current target for net zero being a 55% reduction of 1990 levels by 2030 and a 100% reduction by 2050.
• There are some real disparities in views regarding the Strategy. For some it is too complex whilst others feel it lacks ambition and detail regarding investment of resources. It must be noted that this is a Strategy the precursor that informs the Action Plan and it is in the latter where the detail for implementation lies.

Communication and engagement

1. Following on from overall comments about the Strategy, Action Plan and Targets the second most commented-on theme, is a common call for improved communication and engagement around climate change.
2. This could be through newsletters, public involvement including citizen assemblies, community projects, digital communications, and media coverage to raise public awareness. There were also suggestions for more regular updates and progress reports from the Council to increase transparency and build trust with the public.
3. A number of responses stated the need for behavioural change and educational campaigns. It was suggested that the Council should work with active local groups and stipulate ways in which the public can get involved to help deliver the action plan.
4. There was a feeling from some respondents that the Council wasn’t going to listen to residents and that it had lost touch with its community and their needs. There was feedback to be more specific with carbon data and targets and review the accuracy of the Strategy including missing units and out of date data. Finally, there were comments about the current draft Strategy not containing sufficient information about what practical measures and actions individuals, businesses and organisations should be taking to tackle climate change.
5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and accountability was another popular theme. This related to commitment from Government, large corporations as well as the Council and local businesses. Some called for legislative change and stronger enforcement of policies at both a national and local level, with incentives for corporations with strong environmental credentials.
6. There was a recognition that political buy in across the parties is important to support this. Suggestions included ‘a dedicated climate change strategy committee’ to oversee the implementation of the strategy across the city to ensure a holistic approach. This could potentially be the Council’s Independent Climate Change Advisory Board who have a role to play in shaping the strategy which could feed into the delivery phase.
7. Other comments suggested a requirement for ‘training for Council staff so that every action involves considering reducing and mitigating climate change’ and a call for ‘corporations to lead by example’ citing they have a greater level of responsibility than individuals and can help drive societal change. The public would like to see ‘better leadership from the Council. Actions not words’ and ‘the Council increasing its co-operation and coordination with voluntary organisations and see all schools gain regular access to allotments’. Other comments included development of sustainable procurement policies.

The Pathways

The other themes are explored in more detail specific to the pathway headings listed below:

Fairer Green Futures Pathway

1. Fairer Green Futures was the most commented on pathway group across the consultation period. Several themes were addressed within these responses, with the two most engaged themes being Communication & Engagement, and Corporate Responsibility.
2. Individuals felt that the Council should do more to engage with the residents of Coventry, whether this is through digital communications (e.g. e-newsletters, press releases) and media coverage, or via more direct engagement with citizens such as citizen’s assembly and educational campaigns. Building on educational campaigns, individuals also wanted to see greater emphasis of climate change within schools.
3. To be as equitable as possible, individuals have suggested these communications should allow access by anyone, including those that are digitally excluded. The theme of communication and marketing runs across all pathway groups. Engagement events should consider the ability for individuals to be able to visit, which is not always easy.
4. The second most popular theme within the fair green pathway comments was Corporate Responsibility / Policy. Individuals want the Council to ‘lead by example’. Building on this, individuals highlighted the importance of the council growing existing partnerships and developing new partnerships (including large organisations operating in the city). It was further felt that the Council should work with government to ensure an equitable response to climate change, something similar to the Scottish Government’s commitment to a ‘Just Transition’.
5. The need to improve the energy efficiency of homes especially for those in fuel poverty through the provision of advice and promotion of Government grants and other funding was raised. People reported that the advice is difficult to access, it’s often confusing and difficult to understand and is not well joined up with other services that could help to improve living conditions.
6. Access to affordable public transport and the need for behavioural change to reduce the number of private car journeys and promoting public transport and active travel is seen as critical. There is largely support for the development of VLR although issues relating to impacts on reduction of road capacity and how this will reduce road congestion were raised. The emphasis from the Fairer Greener perspective is that there needs to be more choice at lower costs and the need to understand and overcome issues limiting access to these services.
7. There was support for initiatives to promote access to local food at an affordable price including local growing projects and there were suggestions for expanding the Food Network beyond the food banks and social supermarkets including joining up with nutrition and developing cooking skills.
8. Promoting the repair of tools, electrical items and white goods to extend their life and save money for households (relationship to the Circular Economy Pathway) with a focus on access to services.
9. Community engagement was mentioned a few times, individuals wanted Council engagement with community projects (e.g., tree planting, nature recovery, sustainable food). Individuals also wanted more community engagement across climate change projects. This includes ensuring equality & diversity, by making schemes and consultation accessible to anyone in the city (thinking about digital exclusion, language barriers etc.).

Low Emissions Pathway

1. Within the low carbon pathway, there were six themes that stood out for the number of comments received. Three of those themes can be related to transport; traffic/transport, public transport, and active travel. Whilst considerable other comments could be related to energy/home improvements, developments, and climate change strategy.
2. Within the transport theme, there was a clear ask from many individuals for more cycle lanes that are safe for use and have supporting infrastructure (e.g., hire bikes, bike storage facilities and support with buying/maintaining bikes). However, many other respondents had scepticism about the effectiveness of cycle lanes, commenting on the limited amount to which they are currently used, and whether they represent good value for money. There was also demand from individuals for more frequent and reliable public transport routes (especially around school times) and to have financial incentives for the use of public transport. Individuals also wanted to see reduced traffic across some roads, including arterial roads, but again highlighting traffic currently around schools.
3. Looking beyond transport, there was a common call for support with residential retrofit, maximising any opportunities available to support those in fuel poverty. There were also calls for the Council to support with behaviour change campaigns, ensuring commercial and residential owners alike are ensuring efficient energy use. This includes residents being able to access advice on saving energy across the board (this was also raised in relation to the Fairer Green Pathway).
4. In addition, individuals wanted the Council to reduce the number of houses being built, and where required to not be built on green belt land. There were many comments that centred around this idea that too many houses are being built on green belt / countryside and should be targeted elsewhere as they result in generating more trips and emissions. Individuals also wanted to ensure those houses being built should be as sustainable and energy efficient as possible.
5. Less common but still prominent themes also included providing additional support to help businesses with energy efficiency, developing skills for the green transition, reducing air pollution (inc. pollution through wood burning stoves), promoting renewable energy schemes across the city, developing car sharing clubs, and ensuring effective public engagement across these themes.

Circular Economy Pathway

1. A lot of comments about recycling and re-use were received. Many focused on making domestic recycling easier for people to do especially for flats and high rise apartments where storing recyclables is more difficult. There were also a lot of comments seeking provision of more information about what is recyclable or re-usable and where to take it. People would also like to see more news of successes and achievements to help others take more practical steps toto reduce waste and encourage recycling and re-use etc.
2. Facilities to encourage more people to re-use, repair as well as recycle were also suggested. Community based recycling centres and improved collection points in local tips were mentioned as an example. Using empty commercial premises to support community-based activity were suggested e.g. Swap shops, white goods repair, cherished clothing and furniture shops.
3. Education and awareness raising for schools and community to reduce waste, encourage composting, repair, re-use and recycling were suggested including the use of the media (including social media) to promote best practice and celebrate successes at the community and Citywide level.
4. Develop networks amongst businesses to reduce waste and to work with universities and finding solutions to trade waste, e.g. new technologies and widening the range of materials that can be re-used or recycled.
5. There were some calls for introducing anaerobic digestion of organic waste and working out plans for the future which phases out incineration.
6. Initiatives to reduce construction waste and the re-use of materials in the construction of materials have been asked for with suggestions of encouraging collaborative partnerships and links with universities etc to identify opportunities and how they can be best delivered in minimising waste and encouraging re-use etc.

Nature Based Pathway

1. It was clear from the consultation that there are already a number of people and organisations with a keen focus and interest in nature across Coventry. These ranged from individuals, local educational bodies and charitable organisations and showed the strength of support for tackling species extinction and climate change in Coventry. Several highlighted their interest in further involvement in both shaping the climate change agenda and taking part in activities to alleviate climate change, particularly around residents committing to do more in their homes such as attracting wildlife into their gardens and wanting to get involved in local food growing
2. Consultation on the Nature Based Pathway section of the strategy highlighted several reoccurring themes important to individuals. By far the most mentioned theme was green infrastructure; it’s access and provision to local communities, benefits and monitoring. Other common themes mentioned were around food and education.
3. The theme of green infrastructure was regularly highlighted in consultation responses. Individuals were keen to see more parks, trees, and open spaces, particularly in urban areas of the city. They also highlighted the importance of green infrastructure for increasing biodiversity, improving air quality and wellbeing. Trees in particular were a common theme, with an ask from individuals for more trees and the maintenance and retention of older established trees. Related to green infrastructure, another key theme to emerge was encouraging residents to maintain and improve their gardens for the benefit of wildlife.
4. Around the theme of food, there was a call to encourage more organic, local food growing initiatives within residential gardens and community allotments. Individuals also highlighted the importance of low carbon diets (also raised in the Fairer Greener Pathway section).
5. Education was also a common theme. Individuals asked for education and training to be provided in schools and for residents and community groups to enable them to take part in wildlife conservation, food growing and gardening as well as improving overall awareness of the environment and establishment of wildlife refuges and outdoor areas for study in schools.

Adaptation & Resilience Pathway

1. The adaptation and resilience pathway received considerably less comments than the other pathways groups. This was especially true for the Let’s Talk Survey. This perhaps highlights a knowledge gap within this pathway, proving the importance of further engagement and communication to ensure the public better understand the challenges and opportunities presented by the adaptation and resilience pathway
2. The most commented on theme within this pathway was water and how it is managed to reduce the risk of flooding, alongside sustainable water supply. Individuals commented on the need to reduce water consumption, and suggested opportunities to reuse water across the city where possible (e.g., grey water use in offices, shops, residential buildings). There were further comments on the potential to better use natural water, through using canals for water source heating and cooling, whilst also opening up and de-culverting rivers to create green corridors. Improvement to Sustainable Drainage Systems SUDS was also considered an important action to reduce surface flooding.
3. There were also multiple comments related to health, many individuals wanted to see more public water fountains across the city. There were also calls to ensure the Council had suitable emergency planning for weather extremes. Public realm was also considered, with suggestions to increase the tree coverage in the city.

Corporate and universal issues

1. Addressing feedback on the draft strategy as a whole, one clear theme emerged. Responses highlighted an ask for the document to include clearer commitments, targets, and actions. These should be robust, measurable, deliverable, and prioritised. Relating to this, individuals also asked that these targets are regularly monitored and reported on, with outcomes communicated to residents
2. Other recurring themes were regarding the document needing more legal weight, with Supplementary Planning Guidance and inclusion in the Local Plan suggested. Further comments related to the need for the strategy’s approach to be one that is both holistic and takes equality and diversity into consideration.