How we can all help tackle the climate crisis

The choices we all make every day will determine how severe the climate crisis becomes. While climate scientists made it clear in the major 2018 IPCC report that systemic change is needed to avoid catastrophic climate disruption, they also highlighted that there are many actions individuals can take now.

A good starting point is to calculate your carbon footprint. This will help show you where you have the most opportunity to cut emissions. You can then find out more about the changes we can all make to the way we travel, the energy we use, the food we eat, and the things we use and throw away.

The climate is already changing and we are seeing extreme weather events becoming more frequent and more severe. Our emergency planning pages provide advice on preparing for flooding and heatwaves, which will help to reduce the load on the NHS and emergency services when these events occur. There is also an increasing risk of droughts, and we can all help reduce their impact by cutting down on water waste.

Support available to help you cut emissions

Gosport Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and the UK Government are all offering support to help us all reduce our climate impact.

• We'll provide support to communities of 250 to 8000 households who want to join the Greening Campaign and find out how they can become more sustainable. The following neighbourhood groups are already involved: Alverstoke, Bridgemary, Lee-on-the-Solent, Leesland, and Rowner & Grange. More groups are welcome to join!
• The Smart Export Guarantee ensures that you can sell any excess electricity from renewable sources such as solar panels to the grid.
• The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant can provide up to 75% of the cost of an electric vehicle chargepoint and its installation, up to £350, if you live in a flat or are a tenant in any type of property.
• The Warmer Homes programme provides completely free insulation, solar panels, heat pumps, and other measures to reduce your energy use, if your household income is less than £30,000 per year and your home has an Energy Performance Certificate rating of E, F or G.
• The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides up to £6000 towards the cost of installing heat pumps, and is available to most home owners.
• The Solar Together Hampshire is widely known and accepted that you can make noticeable savings on your energy bill using solar panels.

Climate champions

We're looking for inspirational stories to share here of people taking action now to tackle climate change. If you think that could be you then please let us know. We'd love to hear how Gosport residents are making a difference, whether that's in your home life, at work, or in the wider community.