Net-Zero Innovation Programme (NZIP):

Co-developing a communications delivery

strategy for South Gloucestershire’s

Climate Emergency Action Plan

Funded by the Local Government Association (LGA)

Lucy ReesSenior Environmental Policy & Climate Change Officer South Gloucestershire Council

Dr Laura De Vito Senior Research FellowAir Quality Management Resource Centre

University of the West of England, Bristol

Transport and Active Travel

• Transport emissions represents 32% of local emissions, excluding motorways.

• Road transport also represents a public health issue due to air pollution. There are currently three areas that do not comply with UK air quality objectives: Kingswood, Staple Hill and Cribbs Causway.

• A good percentage of journeys in South Gloucestershire are less than 1 mile.

• Despite considerable work to encourage active travel, motor vehicles use on major roads has increased

Transport and Active Travel• The authority benefits from a strong economy but

there is an inequality of job opportunities across

South Gloucestershire.

• For example in the East Fringe there are half as

many jobs than the number of resident workers

(0.4 ratio) whilst in the North Fringe there are

almost twice as many jobs (ratio of 1.8)

• This contributes to patterns of commuting across the

areas, causing congestions, adding to air pollution

and inequalities (Source: Local Plan 2020)

Domestic sources and retrofitting homes

• Domestic sources of carbon emissions account

for 32% of the area’s emissions

• Of the total number of dwellings, 75% are

owner occupied, 15% private rented and 10%

social rented.

• Most recent fuel poverty figures from BEIS

(2014) show that approximately 10,800

households in South Gloucestershire were

considered to be ‘fuel poor’.

• Approximately 32,500 additional homes by

2036, along with industrial and commercial

developments. These developments will create

new pressures on infrastructure and increases in

carbon emissions.

(Source: Local Plan 2020)

Phase 1Partnership development and research co-production (NZIP platform)

Partnership Development

workshops (Oct 2020)

Co-production Sandpits

(Nov-Dec 2020)

Lessons Learned workshops

(Jan-July 2021)

• Navigating polarising issues and

overcoming gridlocks

• From problems to actions

• Exploring roles and responsibilities

• Problem statement, theoretical

approach, research methods

• Project outcomes

• Timeline, risks, project evaluation

• Lessons learned form the project

• How to continue and develop

existing partnership

• Replicability of the projects

Collaboration, integration, slow deliberation

Phase 2Research delivery

Theoretical Framework Data gathering

Behavioural science scholarship• Social Practice

• Action-based engagement for pro-

environmental behaviour change

Public Policy scholarship• Institutionalist literature

• ISM (Individual – Social – Material)

model

Exploratory survey • Using ViewPoint survey infrastructure

(all responses available in the

ViewPoint April 2021 report)

Focus Groups and interviews

Moving Climate Change beyond the Tragedy of the Commons (Brown et al.

2019)

• The tragedy of the commons assumes that individuals are only motivated by self-interest

• The authors claim that “viewing climate change as a moral, rather than a technical resource scarcity issue can help to provide more impactful climate change framings…” (Brown et al 2019, p. 61)

• This shifts the focus from the commons tragedy to more complex set of governance challenges (Brown et al. 2019, p. 61)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095937

8018313116

View Point Survey – co-designed questions

Focus Groups – 3 x groups local residents

Presented scenarios and activities:

• Retrofit/Home Energy Efficiency: Participants were asked to review the council’s energy advice website for easy of access to information.

Key feedback: Website not that easy to navigate, Needs more information on cost, Links to trusted installers

Outcome: Working with advice providers to improve website.

• Walking and cycling: Participants were asked to read through local scenarios around cycling based on a numberof fictional residentsand give their feedback.

Key feedback: Beyond the commonly held reasons that prevent people cycling, such as time/infrastructure locally, there are still perceived cultural barriers to cycling ‘not the done thing’ for leisure activities in particular.

Outcome: Council developing communications materials to communicate a cultural change around walking and cycling. Longer term aim to develop area specific targeting.

Key lessons learned

Key research messages Lessons learned

• Behaviour change needs enabling infrastructure as

well as effective communication and engagement

• If social and psychological processes are neglected,

messages can backfire and achieve the opposite of

what was intended – risk of climate change

becoming a ‘buzz-word’; trust is key.

• Policymakers need action-based tools to

encourage behaviour change among citizens and

organisations (de Vries, 2020)

• From issues to actions (De Meyer et al 2021)

• There is a wide range of motivations behind the

willingness to engage in pro-environmental

behaviours

Active TravelSocial norms and expectations about safety,

accessibility and infrastructure play a key role

Home retrofittingPeople benefits from different options and

easy access to low-hanging fruits to start their

journey

Local Strategic PartnershipThere is a need for the Council to play a

leadership and brokerage role

Active Travel Toolkit – Area wide communications tool