Weymouth climate emergency centre

The proposed Community Climate Hub will be the first of its kind to open in Dorset – and organisers are asking for help to find suitable premises in the town.
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The project is being set up by Climate Resources and Guidance (CRaG) - a registered charity that aims to inform the residents of Weymouth and Portland and the wider public about the climate and nature crisis and possible solutions, so they feel knowledgeable and empowered to act.

The hub will increase local awareness of the heightened risks of flooding and food insecurity brought about by climate change, and encourage and support local residents to consider mitigation measures.

Many areas of the town centre are already at the highest level of flood risk with rising sea levels and climate change exacerbating the problem year by year.

In the event of a one-in-200-year storm happening in Weymouth around a thousand households would be at risk of flooding, and up to 400 businesses.

As a result, new developments in some parts of the town now have to install flood measures and have flood escape routes built into them.

CRaG’s organisers say prevention is also a key aim of the community hub project: they hope to inspire people to take actions that lower the carbon footprint of Weymouth and Portland, increase biodiversity, and reduce air and sea pollution.

In order to provide a physical space in the town where residents can access advice, resources and actions, CRaG is looking for a town centre property to rent.

https://climateemergencycentre.co.uk/about/

The Climate Emergency Centres (CECs) project enables the development of a self-funding Eco Centre that brings together a diverse alliance of groups and individuals in the local community to build solutions, relationships and resilience in the face of the Climate Emergency and multiple social crises. Each centre is autonomous but interconnected with a broader network of Centres across the UK that support each other, sharing skills, resources and knowledge.

The Climate Emergency Centres (CEC) project has grown out of 30 years of grassroots environmental community centre projects, which began in 1992 after the Rio Earth Summit.Knowledge from this experience has been collated into the CEC handbook.

At this critical time for our planet what is needed is spaces and infrastructure to help people connect and gather resources to take action for a sustainable future. Over 300 Councils in the UK have declared a climate emergency https://www.climateemergency.uk.

Local communities can come together to set up self-funding Climate Emergency Centres that meet local needs in a sustainable way. These Centres will work to improve community resilience by focusing on solutions to social and environmental crises.

Local communities create a team and identify a vacant building, either owned by the Council or a private developer, that can be used for a Climate Emergency Centre (CEC) for the benefit of people and planet.