As COP27 begins in Egypt, residents in Solihull have the opportunity to listen to a special edition of the ‘Courts on Climate Change’ podcast. Touching on COP27 and the challenges society is faced with, the podcast then reflects on the extraordinary variety of climate action that’s happened across the borough in the past year.
Part one of the podcast can be downloaded today and sets the scene appropriately. With floods causing devastation in Dorridge last year and the West Midlands recording its highest temperature on record this summer at 38.8C, the effects of extreme weather events are being seen first-hand in the borough. Listeners can also expect to hear about the impact of rising energy costs and where residents can go to find about retrofit grants, designed to reduce energy usage.
Councillor Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, is joined by host Nick Booth, a former BBC political reporter and television and radio documentary maker. Ann-Marie, Low Carbon Project Manager at the Council, also brings her technical expertise to the discussion.
Listen and subscribe
The podcast can be listened to in several ways to reach an audience as wide as possible, including the Council website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and even on YouTube. Residents can also download and listen to four episodes of ‘Courts on Climate Change’ recorded last year on the themes of education, net zero, energy and future transport.
Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, said:
“Since adopting our Net Zero Action Plan this time last year, it’s been inspiring to see so much climate action taking place across Solihull. I encourage you all to take a moment and listen to the achievements and milestones that have been reached, but also the challenges that we’re battling against, notably this summer’s unprecedented heatwave and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
“Building on the success of last year’s podcasts series, we’re continually exploring alternative platforms to engage with residents and update them on issues they are passionate about. We know climate change and transforming into a more sustainable society is incredibly important to many of us and I look forward to sharing more exciting developments and initiatives throughout 2023. We’ve made a great start towards our aim of decarbonising Solihull but it’s so important that everyone is involved if we’re to become a net zero borough by 2041”.
If you would like to learn more about what the Council is doing to combat climate change and create a more sustainable borough, sign up to receive updates.