COLUMN by Stroud District Council leader Catherine Braun. 

Last week, leaders in climate action from around the world gathered in New York for the annual Climate Week event.

In his opening speech, the United Nations Chief, Antonio Guterres, called for greater ambition to address the climate crisis: for all countries to implement a fair and just energy transition, for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, and for ambitious renewable energy goals.

Here in Stroud district, environment and climate is a top priority for the council and the communities we serve, and we are working to shape local policy on transport, energy, resource use and insulating homes.

But if we are to heed the United Nations call to action and accelerate ambition, we will need stronger national level incentives and investment.

In our council’s annual Climate Report this year, we noted that improving the energy efficiency of the 53,000 homes in Stroud district remains a huge challenge, and we are still waiting for the national funding and schemes which are needed to meet climate targets for the housing sector.

But we have committed to invest in the district’s 5,000 council homes to make them warmer, as well as demonstrator projects, like the nationally recognised ‘deep retrofit’ of flats in Berkeley.

Lessons from the past can often point us towards a better future, and the ‘Sustainable Stories’ developed by the Museum in the Park, help us do just that, by exploring objects which prompt reflection on how a ‘make do and mend’ approach can inspire reuse and recycling today.

The Museum has a wonderful collection and was the seventh most visited free-of-charge attraction in the South West during 2022.

To find out what visitors enjoyed most, and what would encourage them to visit, the Museum is launching a short survey. Please do have your say: www.tinyurl.com/mr3uadp2