Press release
Talking the walk to COP26
A small but diverse team will walk 500 miles from London to Glasgow, to highlight the power and potential of local climate action at COP26 and beyond. On their 26-day journey, they will have 500 conversations with people along the way, run eight inclusive events and showcase 200 high-impact, low-carbon initiatives from around the UK.
UK charity Drivers for Change is leading this bold, new initiative focused on education, information and climate action at the local level. The team of six walkers will set off from London on 7 October, intending to reach Glasgow in time for the start of the global climate summit COP26 on 1 November.
Their goal is to engage audiences beyond the environmental bubble and to inspire more action, both individually and together. By involving businesses, local government and community groups from start to finish, they will show how powerful it is when we take cross-cutting action aimed at carbon zero where we live.
The idea for this ambitious walk came from Sam Baker, an advisor to companies on climate change, purpose and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) for many years.
Sam Baker, team leader, said:
“We all need to engage on climate change outside of our normal social and professional circles. It’s a systemic issue and we need to push ourselves to understand different points of view, different challenges and work together to overcome them.
“I hope that we can do something to draw attention to the great work that has been done at multiple levels – for example, by local community groups, the UK Climate Assembly, the Climate Change Commission and indeed the UNFCCC itself – and make those connections more obvious and stronger.”
The walk will engage people in the national and local debate about the ecological and climate crisis, through conversations along the route and at eight events involving local government, businesses, civil society and students. Each of the locations for these inclusive events, such as Morecambe in Lancashire, will be chosen for its local involvement and wider leadership in the UK’s transition to carbon zero.
People are invited to support this walk, by pledging an action and by sharing their stories. Walk2COP26 is partnering with Count Us In, so that the steps people pledge to reduce their carbon footprint will be counted in a global total at COP26. Walk2COP26 is also encouraging people to share the work they are already doing collectively to address climate change locally, in partnership with Carbon Copy.
Carbon Copy will play a key role by making its publishing platform available so people can submit their initiatives directly, for others to discover and copy. Ric Casale, team walker and co-founder of Carbon Copy, said:
“Using COP26 as a moment in time, and the walk as a mechanism, Carbon Copy would like to shine a bright light on climate action locally in the UK and to celebrate the inspiring low-carbon initiatives that councils, community groups and local businesses are already working on.
“The global climate summit is an opportunity to refocus policy makers’ and people’s minds on the climate crisis. But it’s not up to the COP26 delegates alone to come up with the answers; it’s up to all of us. In looking forward to Glasgow, let’s look to where we live as the real stage for turning things around.”
Hung Nguyen, team walker and lecturer at Goldsmiths (University of London), said:
“It’s true that we need governments and corporations to take urgent actions but equally we need people and employees to be fully aware of the effects of climate change, and to put pressure on our governments and corporations to do a lot more. There are lot of unsung heroes in the fight against climate change and they deserve to be in the spotlight.”
The UK is entering a more devolved and democratic phase of decarbonisation, as further reductions in emissions can only be achieved by changing our previously normal way of life. By walking through many of the places leading the way in the UK’s transition to carbon zero, and by talking with people and organisations who are taking climate action locally, Walk2COP26 will focus on tangible progress on the ground as much as on the climate change policies needed to support them.
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For more information, including interview requests, please contact Sam Baker, Team Leader sam@walk2cop26.com / 07823 532672 / www.walk2cop26.com
Notes to Editors
Drivers for Change
Drivers for Change is a UK charity set up to support young people to create the change they want to see in their communities. The Drivers for Change experience is designed to help participants develop relationships around shared values, build an understanding of innovative solutions to complex social problems, and manifest skills and confidence to step up as leaders.
Carbon Copy
Carbon Copy is a UK charity that shares and celebrates local climate action, accelerating progress towards a carbon zero future. By showcasing success stories, Carbon Copy shines a light on communities, councils and companies that are tackling the climate crisis, inspiring others to replicate the initiatives that are working.
Count Us In
Count Us In is a community of people initiated by Countdown (powered by TED and Future Stewards) and other founding organisations. Count Us In is a call to action for citizens everywhere to reduce their carbon footprint. Its cornerstone Aggregator combines 16 different steps that individuals and organisations can take, to show the collective impact people can take on climate change.