The ultimate climate resource bank for charities

CHECK OUT THE ’CLIMATE ACTION’ HUB!

There are ways you can tackle the problem of climate change from where you are right now. Use our resource bank to suit your current needs – from taking your first steps into sustainability to becoming a climate action leader.

This page is a constantly evolving resource, and we encourage you to get in touch with any additional resources that may be useful to others in taking climate action.

Skip to: Climate information and research resources

Skip to: Resources for collaboration

Skip to: Resources for leadership, marketing, and fundraising

Skip to: Resources for service delivery

Skip to: Resources for sustainability in operations

Skip to: Policies, statements, templates, and strategies

Skip to: Resources for individual impact

Climate information and research resources

Climate information and resources includes links to the most recent scientific publications, policy updates, and explanatory resources. We have also highlighted some links that are useful for charities specifically, including guidance from the UK Charity Commission, fact sheets, and news about climate change projects.

Science and policy

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• UN Environment Programme – Facts about the climate emergency
• UN Environment Programme – Climate action
• UN Environment Programme – The climate emergency
• United Nations  – Sustainable Development: The 17 Goals
• United Nations Climate Action
• NASA – Global Climate Change – Understanding our planet to benefit humankind
• UK Climate Risk – Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk (CCRA3)
• Met office – UK Climate Projections (UKCP)
• National Centres for Environmental Information (USA)
• The Royal Society – You and the planet – Events
• The Royal Society – Climate change: science and solutions
• International Union for Conservation of Nature - Resources
• Climate Change Resources – Climate is complex. We put it in context.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – OECD climate change resources
• The Geological Society – Climate change
• Carbon Brief: Clear on Climate
• World glacier monitoring service
• Royal Meteorological Society
• Climate Action Tracker
• Euronews.green
• The World Counts

Highlights for charities

• Charity Commission – RS17 Going Green: Charities and Environmental Responsibility
• United Nations – Sustainable Development – The 17 Goals
• UK Business Climate Hub
• UN Environment Programme – Resilience: The Global Adaptation Podcast
• Atlas of the Future – Projects about Climate Change
• Friends Of the Earth – Climate Change
• Climate.gov – The essential principles of climate literacy
• Earth day – Fact sheets
• National Geographic – Environment
• SME Climate Hub – Tools and Resources
• Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Publications
• Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Events
• Earth Defenders Toolkit

Resources for collaboration

Taking a collaborative approach can help charities share knowledge and resources and work to achieve shared goals. Here we have included opportunities for charities to do just this in a range of different ways.

Climate and sustainability networks

• The Climate Coalition
• Earth Defenders Toolkit
• The Charity Eco Hub Facebook Group
• Fit for the Future

Campaigns, get involved

• UN Environment Programme - Campaigns
• UN Environment Programme – Act now speak up!
• UN Environment Programme – Protecting the planet is everyone’s responsibility – Get involved. Invest in a better future.
• Earth day 2023 – Invest in our planet
• Earth day – Take action
• Earth day – Science and education – Our toolkits
• UN Climate Change – Race to Zero Campaign

Resources for leadership, marketing, and fundraising

These resources get into the specifics of how different elements of charitable organisations can engage with climate action and sustainability.

Leadership

• SME Climate Commitment
• Acevo - Climate and environmental leadership principles
• Sayer Vincent – Should charities be doing more sustainability reporting?
• BSR – Reports: Five steps to good sustainability reporting
• Climate Outreach – Blog
• Climate Outreach – Videos and Podcasts

Marketing and communications

• Media Trust – Media & Communications Toolkit for National Lottery funded, community-led climate action projects
• Climate Justice – A messaging guide
• Climate. gov – The essential principles of climate literacy
• Climate Outreach
• Climate Outreach – Communities
• Climate Outreach – Britain Talks Climate – A toolkit for engaging the British public on climate change
• Climate Outreach – Image library
• Climate Outreach – Blog
• Climate Outreach – Videos and Podcasts
• Interactive Storytelling with MapLibre

Fundraising

• Institute of Fundraising – Environmental Change: A toolkit for fundraisers

Resources for service delivery

Climate change touches upon a wide range of charitable causes. Here, we are building a list of resources to help organisations tackling any challenge incorporate today’s climate crisis within their work.

Animals, conservation, and biodiversity

• UN – Register as Restoration Implementer – The Decade Hub
• The Royal Society – Reversing biodiversity loss
• WWF – Living planet report 2022
• International Union for Conservation of Nature - Resources
• Carbon brief – Mapped: how climate change affects extreme weather around the world
• Big Garden Birdwatch | The RSPB

Equality and justice

• CARE Climate & Resilience Academy
• Friends of the Earth – Reading and resources on climate justice
• B Corp Climate Collective – Climate Justice Resources
• Climate Just – Resources
• Aspen Institute – Environmental Justice Resources
• Carbon brief – Mapped: how climate change affects extreme weather around the world
• Where’s the dirtiest water in the UK? This new map tracks sewage dumping
  • Thames Water – EDM map
• World Food Programme
• The UN Refugee Agency – Climate change and disaster displacement
• UN Women – Explainer: How gender inequality and climate change are interconnected
• UN Women  – The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Global Citizen  – Why is climate change a racial justice issue?
• Mapeo – Map from the middle of anywhere
• Terrastories: connecting generations
• Commonplace – A platform for community-driven place-making

Pollution, sanitation, and health

• Breathe Life – Resources for cities & organisations
• Earth day – Plastic pollution primer and action toolkit
• Where’s the dirtiest water in the UK? This new map tracks sewage dumping
  • Thames Water – EDM map
• Earthday.org – Plastic pollution primer and action toolkit
• World Food Programme

Housing

• Northern Housing Consortium – Webinars on demand
• Northern Housing Consortium – Documents and resources
• Northern Housing Consortium – The social housing tenants’ climate jury webinar series
• Northern Housing Consortium – The social housing tenants’ climate jury sessions

Arts and heritage

• Culture Declares Emergency – Pathways to Action Guide
• Bridget McKenzie – Culture Takes Action Framework
• Culture Declares Emergency – Inspiring Organisations List
• Historic England – Climate Change, Adaptation and Energy Efficiency Measures Webinar Recordings
• Julie’s Bicycle – Creative Climate Action Resources
• The Happy Museum – No Going Back Conversations Workshop Series

Addressing the causes of climate change

• Friends of the Earth - Climate crisis is the symptom, overconsumption is the disease

Resources for sustainability in operations

The sustainability of organisation refers to the direct impact of their operations upon the planet. These resources include guidance on how to reduce plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, how to have confidence in your environmental claims, how to handle finances with environmental sustainability in mind, how to consider the climate resilience of your organisation, and relevant information for working with suppliers.

General

• Earthday.org – Sustainable business toolkit
• Earthday.org – Plastic pollution primer and action toolkit
• Compare Ethics – Make environmental claims with confidence

Greenhouse gas emissions 

• Edinburgh Science – The Net Zero Toolkit
• Exponential Roadmap Initiative – 1.5°C Business Playbook
• SME Climate Hub – Climate Fit: Free training on how to cut your emissions
• SME Climate Hub – Financial support for reducing emissions
• 360 Carbon – Making Carbon Footprints Make Sense
• Carbon Trust – Office Equipment: Introducing measures to help businesses reduce their energy consumption
• Carbon Trust—Office based Companies: Maximising energy savings in an office environment

Finance

• Make My Money Matter – The green pensions guide
• Make My Money Matter – Green Pensions Charter

Organisational climate resilience

• US Climate Resilience Toolkit

Suppliers

• Cancer Research UK – Supplier code of conduct (example)
• Green-root Tech Ltd. – Charities (refurbished IT)
• Library of Things – Why buy when you can borrow? 
• Dezeen – PlasticFree database of over 100 plastic alternatives for designers and architects

Policies, statements, templates, and strategies

To give you an idea of how other charities are doing it, here are some examples of the official documents you can create to support your sustainability and climate action work. Use these to develop your own policies, strategies, and codes of conduct.

Sample environmental policies

• Community First Yorkshire - Sample Environmental Policy for Charities
• Inkind direct – Environmental Policy (full)
• Voluntary Action Harrow Co-op - Sample Environmental Policy for Charities
• WWF-UK Environmental Policy
• Edinburgh Science – Environmental Policy

Example online environmental statements

• Cancer Research UK – Sustainability and Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) Reporting
• Inkind direct – Environmental Policy
• Marie Curie – Environment: This policy lays out Marie Curie’s commitment to continuous improvement in our actions to decrease our environmental impact
• Oxfam – Our planet and its people – Tackling climate change
• The Hygiene Bank – Environmental Policy
• World Food Programme – Climate Action
• WWF-UK – Walking the Talk: Find out how we’re working to minimise our environmental impacts
• Edinburgh Science - Climate and Sustainability

Example sustainability reports

• WWF-UK Sustainability Report July 2021-June 2022

Example environmental strategies

• WWF-UK Environmental Goals 2019-2030

Example supplier codes of conduct

• Cancer Research UK – Supplier code of conduct

Resources for individual impact

Thinking about how we can tackle climate change in our personal lives, we are gathering the best resources that can help each of us engage with and confront the crisis.  

• WWF – My Footprint App
• Big Garden Birdwatch | The RSPB

For more information about climate action in the charity sector, visit our Climate Action Hub.