ECCI will help deliver a new £3.5 million initiative to boost climate action in Edinburgh, Belfast and Leeds, the UK Energy Minister, Claire Perry, announced last week.
The Place-based Climate Action Network (P-CAN) aims to help the UK meet its climate targets by catalysing cross-sector action and increasing the flow of green finance.
It will link research, business, government and communities to accelerate the transition to a fair and thriving low carbon economy. This includes building on the Leeds Climate Commission model and providing small grants for climate and energy researchers and practitioners.
The Economic and Social Research Council is investing £3.5 million in P-CAN over five years. The Universities of Edinburgh and Leeds as well as the London School of Economics and Queen’s University Belfast are hosting the project.
Claire Perry MP, Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, said: “[This] network will include researchers from universities across the UK, and will explore innovative approaches to sustainable finance, renewable energy and low-carbon projects, and also highlight the business opportunities and social and economic benefits of local energy projects to communities.”
Professor Simon Kelley, Head of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, said: “Edinburgh City Council is developing its longer term vision for a vibrant, green and prosperous city through its City Vision 2050.
“The Climate and Energy Commission created through this project will help the city make those plans real – engaging people across Edinburgh in delivering a fair and equitable transformation in our energy and finances to meet the challenge of climate change.
“The University, through our climate impact hub the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, is looking forward to working with government, business and the third sector to accelerate our transition to a thriving low carbon future.”
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