Act local. Change global.

There's a new mantra in town, a spin on the old favourite: "think global, act local." The difference is that we now realize that acting locally is not just act of individual defiance, it is actually the path to achieving global change.

Even before Donald Trump decided to take America out of the Paris Accord, the world was already coming to the realization that cities are driving the global response to climate change. It just makes sense - over half of the world's population lives in urban areas, but that number rises to over 80% for Canada. The actions we take locally have the ability to change the course of climate change.

This is why having a good local climate plan is so important. Let's take a quick look at where things stand:

There are over 90 megacities in the C40 network, and more than more than 1,100 communities worldwide involved in ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) network. There are three Canadian cities in C40 (Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver) and over 300 municipalities in the FCM's Partners for Climate Protection (about 10% of the total number of municipalities, but covering 65% of the population). Many of the PCP communities have prepared a Local Action Plan (Milestone 3).

All in all, this is excellent progress. But there is a gap. And that gap is the community itself.

Community engagement matters

Community engagement is arguably the most complex and essential part of any climate plan. It's complex because it is more than consultation and promotion - it is an active partnership with community groups and residents.

Here's why it matters:

• Without public support, even the best climate plan will fail.
• People taking action will drive further climate leadership by business and governments.
• Community groups are a crucial link to the public, both for raising awareness and helping people act.
• Complete, vibrant communities are the foundation for a low carbon future.

Community action can also be the easiest part of a climate plan. It all depends on how you approach it. Here are four simple steps that will help make the community an active partners in a municipal climate action plan:

1. A green group
2. A community network
3. A community scan
4. A community climate action plan

A green group can be a volunteer group, a not-for-profit environmental organization, or a committee of an existing community organization (such as a residents association)

A community network is a contact list of all the community groups, agencies, and institutions that are involved in the commmunity.

A community scan is an internal research paper listing all the projects and priorities of the community network. It can be prepared as a shared document, and made available to the network. It can then be used in the preparation of the community action plan.

A community climate action plan will promote a community vision and project priorities. In particular, it can highlight:

1. projects or campaigns with direct climate benefit
2. projects or campaigns with co-benefits
3. projects or campaigns that contribute to a complete, livable, and low-carbon community.

The plan will also show funders that the community is organized and has the capacity to deliver solutions.

These steps, plus an initial community engagement campaign, can be carried out for under $40,000 ($30,000 for a part-time animator, and $10,000 expenses). This means that a province can initiate a Community Climate Capacity fund to support 100 communities a year for $4 million; or a municipality can integrate a community engagement program into its Local Action Plan (Milestone 3 under the Partners for Climate Protection program)

Do this, and we can truly act local and change global!

Chris Winter, Climate Action Canada

This article was adapted from the newsletter of Climate Action Canada. For more ideas on community engagement see Cool Communities: 50+ Ideas for community engagement on climate action.