Facilitating stakeholder dialogues on a carbon neutral city: We need to talk about carbon (and air quality)

The issues surrounding successful public engagement with climate change mitigation policy and decision-making have been extensively researched and identified as barriers to long-term civic and civil engagement. The challenge of transforming our urban spaces to mitigate and adapt to climate change is a key theme of the Bristol Urban ID project, which aims to explore the ‘business as usual’ approaches in policy, practice and engagement that limit truly transformational actions. As part of the project, a Carbon Neutral Bristol 2050 roundtable was held with civic leaders and stakeholders. Discussions focussed on defining carbon neutrality targets, “scopes” and boundaries for Bristol, Bristol as a carbon neutral city leader, engagement of civic and civil society with carbon neutrality by building political and citizen space, and the role of Bristol Green Capital Partnership (BGCP. The findings demonstrate a political need for organisations working on interconnected environmental, social and wellbeing issues in cities, such as carbon and air pollution, to communicate and collaborate. Partnership working is essential to improving city-wide engagement in decision making, and to developing integrated city sustainability management strategies. A set of guidelines highlight the need to create political space for people to talk about carbon and air pollution to develop city plans