City's million pound climate change boost

Residents and organisations are set to help Manchester achieve its goals of tackling climate change after benefiting from a million pound boost from Manchester City Council.

Groups across the city have received grants from the Manchester Carbon Innovation Fund, set up to help make sure people who live and work in the city know what they can do about the issue, while the grants have also attracted nearly half a million pounds in match funding from other organisations.

The grants have been issued to support a wide range of activities, from food growing projects to educational schemes, helping Manchester achieve its goal of reducing the city’s carbon emissions by 41 per cent over the next decade.

This goal was outlined in the city’s climate change action plan, entitled Manchester A Certain Future – Our Collective Action On Climate Change, launched in December by climate change minister Ed Miliband. It was coordinated by the City Council but written by nearly 100 groups including Manchester Friends Of The Earth.

Red Rose Forest also received funding to install green roofs on community buildings in Manchester, helping create more green areas of biodiversity and soak up rainwater to reduce flood risk.

The fund has also provided money to Action For Sustainable Living’s Low Carbon Communities project, under which volunteers in 10 wards are receiving training and support to provide practical advice and ideas about tackling climate change to members of their community.

Other funding went towards providing expert information while researching and producing the Manchester A Certain Future action plan.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s Deputy Executive Member for the Environment and Hulme Councillor, said: “Manchester has launched one of the most ambitious plans to tackle climate change, and the city’s businesses and residents will be at the forefront of delivering this, as a low carbon future in everyone’s interest.

“We’re providing these grants as part of the first step towards meeting the aims of the plan. This is about providing residents with the tools and the expertise they need to make their communities more environmentally friendly, as well as creating more green spaces and ensuring more food is grown in the city.”