The Manchester Carbon Literacy Project

Published on 28-02-2014 by Dr Paul Beckett

The Manchester Carbon Literacy Project is an ambitious undertaking. It seeks to educate Mancunians on the fundamental issues affecting climate change and to encourage lifestyle changes that will reduce CO2 emissions.
The city has committed to cut its CO2 emissions by an impressive 41% from 2005 levels by 2020. It has also committed to engage all individuals, neighbourhoods and organisations in Manchester in a process of cultural change that will embed ‘low-carbon thinking’ into the lifestyles and operations of the city. This latter objective is where the Manchester Carbon Literacy Project focuses its aims.
The project offers everyone that lives, works or studies in the city a day’s worth of carbon literacy training by 2015. A key outcome of this training is the adoption of behavioural changes that are vital in order to help the city meet its challenging CO2 reduction targets.
Along with other members of the MACF Steering Group, Phlorum director, Dr Paul Beckett, recently undertook a bespoke training programme as part of the Manchester Carbon Literacy Project. He had the following to say:

“As an environmental consultant I should have already known quite a bit about climate change. However, the pre-course homework forced me to revisit key topics and themes that I’d frankly forgotten about since my studies at university. This really brought home the shocking impact of rising global temperatures and the potential risks we will all likely face if we don’t accept the science and adapt our behaviour. We all have a responsibility to make others aware of this. If we don’t, the consequences really could be catastrophic.”

More on the Manchester Carbon Literacy Project can be found here.