WM2041 Actions

Investing in mitigating and adapting to climate breakdown is essential for the future of this region, but it is also an opportunity to make sure that we achieve other goals. WMCA is committed to a model of inclusive growth which judges economic activity by the quality of its outcomes for people and place:

A more deliberate and socially purposeful model of economic growth – measured not only by how fast or aggressive it is; but also by how well it is created and shared across the whole population and place, and by the social and environmental outcomes it realises for our people.(6)

The WMCA Inclusive Growth Framework lays out ‘what good looks like’ for economic activity, and its influence should carry through to the region’s climate action. However, this is also part of an international effort, and WMCA will indicate where its efforts will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)7. This will help the region to both benchmark against and learn from local partners.

6. 'Inclusive Growth – Update and Next Steps’ WMCA Board, 24 May 2019: https://governance.wmca.org.uk/documents/s2910/Report.pdf

When it comes to assembling investment cases for this work, the SDGs will form an important part of how we demonstrate that we are focusing on the right things, and delivering against the social and environmental outcomes that people of this region will judge us by. In that spirit, the West Midlands will:

1. Respect subsidiarity: leadership on tackling climate change will come from individuals, households, organisations, neighbourhoods, public institutions, universities, central Government, and everything in between. The WMCA will ensure that it creates the right spaces for leadership, partnership and action, and will know when to lead, when to follow, when to ask difficult questions, and when to make space. Furthermore, we will be open to learning from other places – nationally and internationally – that have already made progress on the same journey.
2. Build wealth, and recycle it throughout the region through skills and community ownership: people in the West Midlands can become more prosperous as we invest into tackling climate breakdown. Developing skills that meet the challenges of climate breakdown are useful beyond the region, and have a clear, motivating social purpose. The generation and storage of clean energy and heat will always be in demand. Municipal, co-operative or local business ownership of generating capacity provides stability to the region’s energy systems, and a revenue stream that can be invested back into places and people.
3. Boost health and wellbeing: many aspects of tackling climate breakdown align with improving health and wellbeing. Spending time outdoors in green space. Active travel. Breathing cleaner air. Living in a comfortable home. A steady income. Investments into tackling climate change will put these opportunities front and centre.
4. Take a ‘circular’ approach: circular economies ‘design out’ waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems. This encompasses the reduction, re-use, and recycling of waste, as well our commitment to biodiversity net gain and the quality and quantity of our green spaces, canals, rivers, and lakes . There are also economic opportunities – through the bioeconomy, for example – that could be explored in how we work with our waste streams.
5. Invest in comfortable homes and buildings: whether a home, commercial unit or community building is old or new, it should be easy and affordable to keep it at a comfortable temperature (encompassing heating and cooling). Investing into the energy performance of buildings can help to achieve this, addressing homelessness, fuel poverty and waste.
6. Make space for sustainable transport: space is precious, and how we use it for travel needs to reflect our priorities. Alongside tackling climate breakdown, our priorities are reducing congestion and pollution. As such, space will gradually and thoughtfully be allocated away from solo occupancy cars, and towards walking, cycling, and mass transit.
7. Champion young leadership: this is a young region, and it is because of young leaders that we are focusing on adapting to and mitigating climate breakdown. Continuing in that spirit, we will invest into the creativity, education, skills and capabilities of young people in this region, and will make space for them to create and lead.
8. Unite people across the region by creating common cause and addressing inequalities: tackling climate breakdown should be seen as a common cause, around which people from the region can unite. In a time where priorities are shifting, we can seize on the movement to ensure that people who are economically and democratically excluded have a part to play – closing gender, ethnicity, and disability employment and activity gaps. Those people are already more likely to be exposed to the negative impacts of climate change. It can also support the region’s violence reduction agenda. Neither crime nor violence are inevitable, and we will use investments into tackling climate breakdown to create opportunities for people to live lives free of both.