Local environmental organisation rebrand to unite the region

The Sheffield Climate Alliance has rebranded to the South Yorkshire Climate Alliance as they look to step up in tackling the climate emergency.

The alliance – a group of more than 60 organisations working together on climate action – has rebranded to embrace its links in Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham in addition to Sheffield.

The group was formed 10 years ago by campaigners with growing concern over the lack of action taken on the climate.

They have now grown into a well established group and were awarded nearly £200,000 in 2020 by the National Lottery’s community fund.

Lindy Stone, from Friends of the Earth, said: “When it was a Sheffield-based organisation, SCA was effective in influencing policy and practice within the city and Sheffield Friends of the Earth was pleased to be in an alliance.

“However, no one city is isolated from all others and we are fully supportive of the initiative to broaden the reach of SCA to cover the whole of South Yorkshire.”

Ahead of the United Nations climate change conference COP26 at the end of the month, the alliance is looking to unite local communities in recognising the importance of climate action and tackling the climate emergency.

A spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Climate alliance said: “We recently called on Sheffield City Council to take more radical action on the climate emergency.

“The petition, which was co-signed by groups including Friends of the Earth and Green New Deal South Yorkshire, calls on the local authority to make ‘specific commitments’ following the already-declared climate and nature emergencies.”

Craig Gamble Pugh, co-chair of the alliance, said: “For more than a decade, SCA has shown that climate action comes when like minded organisations and individuals work together as allies.”

“As South Yorkshire Climate Alliance we will continue to act as an uniting force to press for change – starting with COP26.”

The COP26 conference is very important to climate groups as countries around the world are set to announce their plans to cut emissions agreed under the Paris agreement.