Rural communities are at the frontline of climate change impacts. More extreme weather brings longer droughts and wetter winters. Our national interest is damaged when our food production is damaged, and for the two-thirds of people who live outside the largest urban areas, climate change brings distinct challenges to our villages and towns.
But rural communities can also be at the forefront of climate action too. The countryside offers far more than a place to plant millions of trees to offset carbon emissions from elsewhere. To meet the UK’s goal of becoming Net Zero by 2050, rural communities need to be heard; their challenges need to be understood. They need to be engaged in taking action and implementing solutions.
The network
The Countryside Climate Network (CCN) is made up of ambitious local leaders from predominantly rural councils. As members of UK100, the CCN are committed to delivering climate action in their communities and amplifying the rural voice as part of our national policy advocacy - bringing the best from cities and the countryside together.
Members of the CCN are working to achieve Net Zero and improve the resilience of their communities now and for the future. We currently have 44 members, who represent over 57% of England’s land area:
- Adur District Council
- Cambridgeshire County Council
- Canterbury City Council
- Central Bedfordshire Council
- Cherwell District Council
- Cheshire East Council
- Chorley Council
- Cornwall Council
- Cotswold District Council
- Durham Council
- Derbyshire County Council
- Eden District Council
- Essex County Council
- Gloucestershire County Council
- Hampshire County Council
- Herefordshire Council
- Hertfordshire County Council
- High Peak Borough Council
- Lancaster City Council
- Leicestershire County Council
- Lewes District Council
- Mendip District Council
- Norfolk County Council
- North Somerset
- North Yorkshire County Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Shropshire Council
- Somerset County Council
- South Gloucestershire Council
- South Lakeland District Council
- South Somerset District Council
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
- Stroud District Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Surrey County Council
- Swale Borough Council
- Telford & Wrekin Council
- Vale of White Horse District Council
- Warwickshire County Council
- West Berkshire Council
- West Suffolk District Council
- Wiltshire Council
- Worthing Borough Council
- Wychavon District Council
If you would like more information on the Countryside Climate Network please email our membership team at membership@uk100.org.
