Empowering Communities: Place-based sustainability for a fair and equitable future
As we navigate through the challenges of climate change, it’s imperative to take proactive steps to ensure a sustainable future.
This policy focus explores the innovative initiatives our communities are embracing to achieve net zero emissions: from renewable energy projects to waste reduction programmes. Delivering these project can only be done through communities and residents at the heart of them.
These efforts not only help in reducing our carbon footprint and mitigate the risk of climate change, but they also foster a sense of community and shared responsibility.
Let’s work together to create a greener, healthier planet for generations to come.
Resources and reading
This policy blog showcases some of our top resources, practical frameworks and tools, and examples of What Works – highlighting case studies from your peers, webinars, and events.
Yogita Popat is the policy theme lead and a Vice-President of Socitm. She is the Programme Director, Culture and Sustainability for the London Borough of Barnet.
Environmental sustainability in Connected Places
Connected Places play a crucial role in addressing energy and environmental sustainability challenges.
Using technologies and data, we can:
- Combat pollution for improved public health and wellbeing.
- Identify opportunities for sustainable energy use in critical infrastructures.
- Reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change impacts.
- Ensure equitable access to open spaces.
We need clean, ethical, affordable and sustainable technology practices to create wider economic, social value and wellbeing.
The impact of climate change can be felt at a hyper-local level by communities and residents, highlighting the need for national and local action. Communities and residents are facing rising costs and health issues, requiring support for sustainable transitions.
Governments must balance environmental goals with democratic concerns, ensuring communities are included in sustainability efforts. Misinformation can obstruct policy development and implementation.
A summary of what’s on Vice-President Yogita Popat’s desk
Local authorities are responsible for not only delivering on their own net zero targets (for Barnet this is a net zero operation by 2030) but also for making their boroughs net zero. This means supporting anyone who lives, works or studies in a borough to be net zero.
Quick recap – what is net zero?
Net zero is a critical goal in our fight against climate change. It means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases we emit with the amount we remove from the atmosphere. Essentially, we aim to reduce our emissions as much as possible and offset any remaining emissions through methods like reforestation or carbon capture technologies.
How does this Work?
Reducing emissions: We need to cut down on things that release greenhouse gases (for example when oil, gas and coal are burned in homes, factories and to power transport).
Absorbing Carbon: We also need to find ways to absorb those gases (for example planting trees, restoring peatlands, or using special technology).
Why is it Important?
Climate Change. If we don’t do something, the Earth gets hotter, causing problems like extreme weather, rising sea levels, and harm to nature.
Deadline. Scientists say we must reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 and aim for net zero by 2050 to avoid the worst.
Solutions require holistic and cohesive systems thinking across sectors: social, technical, political, and economic policy considerations must be taken together.
For a borough as large as Barnet (about 389,000 residents), this is a huge feat.
It has major arterial roads running through it and therefore reducing transport emissions becomes even harder. However, this presents a unique opportunity as conveners, influencer and enablers of place. An opportunity to bring together initiatives at a place level and delivery through partnerships. Not only within our communities but through the anchor institutes and partners across the borough.
Barnet’s Sustainability Action Plan covers 10 themes of delivery:
- Housings and buildings
- Renewable energy
- Transport
- Waste and sustainable consumption
- Development and economy
- Greenspaces and biodiversity
- Communities and partnerships
- Adaptation and resilience
- Staff and policy
- Supply chain
At the heart of this delivery are communities and residents. Following on from the Climate Assembly the borough held in 2023, communities and residents have been working together to make Barnet one of London’s most sustainable boroughs.
Some initiatives include:
- Co-facilitated community action groups – resulting in a new Schools Charter (being launched in January 2025), establishment of Community Energy Barnet, and closer working with faith groups.
- BarNET Zero innovation challenge – resulting in over 100 ideas being submitted to help deliver the recommendations from the Citizen’s Assembly.
- The first ever Barnet Climate Action Month to coincide with London Climate Action Week saw almost 30 community events being held across the borough.
Barnet’s Sustainability Action Plan is delivered through data and insight, enabling the right things to happen at the right time. Later this year they will be launching a Sustainability Dashboard – linked to their Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – further putting sustainability at the heart of everything the council does.
Recognising that technology will also play an important part in the journey to net zero, Barnet Council has been working with MapMortar. In November 2024, they will be launching a data-driven, digital platform to enable Barnet homeowners and commercial building owners to access the information and recommendations they need to undertake retrofit projects; unlocking whole-building retrofit through virtual modelling and real-world simulation.
Find out more about Barnet’s journey to net zero through BarNET Zero.
Key challenges and resources
As we strive to create a greener future, it’s essential to address these key challenges and explore innovative solutions.
- Harnessing data and digital tools to support local public services in achieving sustainability and net zero goals.
- Sharing cost-effective digital and data strategies to enhance the resilience and sustainability of communities and businesses.
- Promoting responsible AI use and leveraging cutting-edge research to ensure equity, transparency, and fairness.
Harnessing data and digital capabilities to achieve net zero targets.
| Socitm Resources | Find something useful here |
|---|---|
| Digital Trends 2023 | Green and sustainable |
| From the Resource Hub | Connected Places: Energy and environmental sustainability |
| Case studies | BarNET ZERO campaign |
| What works | UCL’s Net Zero What Works Centre |
| Webinar | Watch: Sustainable Growth and Digital Evolution |
| Socitm Says | Listen to: Green and sustainable IT with Alex Bardell and Nathaniel Comer |
Sharing cost-effective digital and data capabilities best practices
| Socitm Resources | Find something useful here |
|---|---|
| Digital Trends 2024 | Reimagining services |
| From the Resource Hub | Net zero: How local authorities can help decarbonise their areas |
| Case studies | Hackney: connecting more people to local green space |
| Webinar | Watch: Making the best use of existing technology to drive sustainability and cost savings |
| What works | Doughnut Economics Framework |
| Podcast | Listen to: Urban solutions at the intersection of climate, health, and equity |
Championing the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence to drive equity, transparency and fairness.
| Socitm Resources | Find something useful here |
|---|---|
| Digital Trends 2024 | Artificial Intelligence |
| From the Resource Hub | Digital twin technology and place-based services part 1 |
| Case studies | University of Liverpool deploys digital twin to cut energy consumption |
| Webinar | Watch: Powering a sustainable future with hybrid cloud |
In summary
It’s clear that the journey towards a sustainable future is both challenging and rewarding.
- By harnessing data and digital tools, we can support local public services in their efforts to achieve sustainability and net zero goals.
- Sharing cost-effective digital and data strategies enhances the resilience and sustainability of our communities and businesses.
- Promoting responsible AI use and leveraging cutting-edge research ensures that our efforts are equitable, transparent, and fair.
The journey towards sustainability and net zero is a collective effort that requires innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to making a positive impact. By working together and embracing these challenges, we can create a greener, healthier planet for future generations.
Let’s strive together for a more sustainable future and make meaningful progress towards our net zero goals.
We hope that by sharing this it will help you and other practitioners with similar challenges across local government. Let us know what else you need.
The team
If you want to discuss more about this theme, please contact the policy team below or Socitm in general.
- Martin Ferguson, Policy and Research Director
- Yogita Popat (policy lead), Programme Director, Culture and Sustainability for the London Borough of Barnet
- Diana Rebaza, Senior research analyst
