Planting trees and other efforts to recover natural destruction have a huge part to play in getting the country to Net Zero and bring a range of other benefits including creating good green jobs, boosting the economy and even cutting crime, says new research published by UK100.

The analysis, conducted by academic researchers with the Place-based Climate Action Network at Queen’s University Belfast, looks at the economic benefits of climate action by local authorities.

The Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) is looking for responses from businesses to a short survey investigating the factors driving business engagement with local climate action.  

The themes identified as a result of the survey data will help businesses to understand what they can do to deal with future risks and opportunities associated with climate change at the local level. 

A wave of local climate action has emerged across the UK, as activists, researchers, politicians and businesses join forces to tackle the climate crisis.

To help share some of these inspiring stories, the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) has launched a new monthly podcast series focused on how climate policy is put into action on the ground.

The UK has committed to ambitious carbon targets, and many local areas have declared a "climate emergency" and set their own local targets. But how are these ambitions understood by officials and politicians at local level? How does rapid climate action feel to them, in the context of their working lives? How should local politicians and officials be supported, so that they can play their part in responding to the climate emergency?