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27 April 2021

King's experts to work with Lambeth Council and its residents on climate change

Local representatives and residents will be guided by King’s advisors as they investigate solutions and barriers to Lambeth becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

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Dr Rob Cowley, Lecturer in Sustainable Cities in the Department of Geography, has joined the independent expert advisory group for Lambeth’s citizens’ assembly on climate change along with climate change charity, Ashden, London South Bank University and the South London Citizens chapter of Citizen’s UK.

Made up of residents from across the borough and reflecting Lambeth’s diversity by ethnicity, age, gender and socio-economic status, the citizens’ assembly will review the latest environmental evidence, develop Lambeth’s climate change commitments, consider new initiatives to tackle climate change in the borough and agree targets to ensure Lambeth becomes a carbon neutral by 2030.

The climate assembly is designed to explore what everyday residents from Lambeth think about the climate emergency we’re facing, what the solutions might be, to navigate the trade-offs and the barriers we need to overcome if we are to achieve our commitment to making Lambeth a carbon neutral borough by 2030.

Jack Hopkins, Leader of Lambeth Council

I’d like to think academics are well placed to help shape just and creative solutions to local problems. I’m delighted to be contributing to these important policy debates in one of our home boroughs.

Dr Rob Cowley, Lecturer in Sustainable Cities in the Department of Geography at King’s

The citizens’ assembly will be funded by Lambeth Council and organised and facilitated by the independent expert advisory group.

It will be overseen by a Steering Group which includes elected Councillors, Youth Councillors and representatives from organisations across the borough including Kat Thorne, Director of Sustainability at King’s.

The Steering Group will ensure the citizens’ assembly is presented with a range of unbiased evidence so that the group can develop a clear set of recommendations to help the borough reduce its carbon emissions to net-zero.

Collaboration with our local communities is central to King’s civic mission. By working in partnership with Lambeth’s citizens’ assembly, King’s people can bring expertise, new insights and fresh perspectives to the residents and community leaders shaping the borough’s response to the climate emergency.

Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice President & Vice Principal (London)

King’s is committed to taking climate action and is co-creating a university-wide strategy to reach Net Zero Carbon by 2025 with students and staff. This includes working with our local communities to share expertise, as well as highlighting climate research taking place at King’s.

In this story

Robert Cowley

Lecturer in Sustainable Cities