Innovate UK hosts Cross Government Climate Hub launch event

Innovate UK Business Connect, in collaboration with the Cross Government Climate Hub (CGCH), has hosted a successful launch event to announce the migration and partnership between CGCH and Gov News.

The Net Zero Innovation Network work closely alongside the volunteers of the Cross Government Climate Hub to support the work that they undertake, and to support the conversations, knowledge sharing and collaborations that the both the Network and the Hub believe are incredibly important to support Local Authorities with their Net Zero journeys.

The Cross Government Climate Hub (CGCH) is a safe and supportive space for over 1500 UK Public Sector workers and civil servants, to network, collaborate, share resources and good practice, ask/answer questions and access peer support, as well as delivering a range of events delivered by the working groups within the community. The community was developed to address the climate and biodiversity crises, and often the public sector can be fragmented and lacking in collaborative coordination. The CGCH seeks to connect workers from across the UK to facilitate systemic action on these joint crises.

A partnership between the CGCH and Gov News is the perfect fit for both organisations. Gov News Direct, founded in 2014, aims to bring together the public sector across a range of topics, and aims to be the one pivotal link between the various services. Developing collaborative, sustainable and inclusive public sector conversations, the CGCH sits prominently to lead the conversations around climate and net zero.

The launch event, hosted by Innovate UK Business Connect and the CGCH, brought together over 150 UK public sector workers. Attendees were able to hear from:

• Nameerah Hameed: Advocacy Manager at Climate Outreach who outlined the vital components of an effective Government climate engagement strategy and the behavioural changes needed to support this.
• Simon Sharpe: Director of Economics for the UN Climate Champions discussing the interlinks between science, diplomacy and economics, and the importance of these vital levers in the race against climate change.
• Susan Krumdieck: Professor at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot Watt University discussing transition engineering and its importance in tackling climate change.

The panel presentations were incredibly insightful, and the Q&A session provided attendees the opportunity to pose questions around the importance of transition engineering, the behaviour changes needed in organisations and local areas, and the individual changes we can make day to day to impact the work we do within the public sector.

Innovate UK Business Connect and the CGCH will be continuing to develop a series of events across 2024, with much wider activity on the platform.

If you would like to know more about the Cross Government Climate Hub and the ongoing work and activities please click here.