News on Brent Climate Assembly

Last weekend, we gathered over 60 people, including residents, environmental experts and Brent staff in Brent Council’s Civic Centre as part of the first of three Climate Citizens’ Assembly.

Why?: These events were put on to channel residents’ voices ,views, and ideas as Brent responds to the climate emergency.

Inside Brent’s Civic Centre – Setting the Scene:

After everyone grabbed a coffee and got to their seats, we started off the session with an inspiring speech by Amar Dave – Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment, on the assembly and how Brent plans to work together with the community in Brent to tackle climate change.

The theme of this day was setting the scene - getting everyone to understand the issue and be on the same page about what is happening, in order to develop informed and effective actions and recommendations. This meant taking a look at the international context of climate change, getting to know the science behind climate change, and understanding how the UK and Brent are trying to deal with the problem.

We got to hear from a few leading experts in sustainability and environmental justice over the course of the day, including:

Alice Bell – Expert in Climate Science and Communication

Tessa Khan – Environmental and Human Rights Lawyer and founder of the Climate Litigation Network

In between talks, participants from the borough got together and discussed their thoughts on climate change, and how it was affecting Brent, the UK, and the rest of the world.

What’s next?

Stay tuned for news updates as we get closer to the next session – on November 23rd, where Brent residents will focus on the different kinds of responses the council can take to tackle climate change!