Why charities need to lead on climate change

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We all know that climate change threatens our future on Earth, but unsurprisingly many find this a difficult prospect to address. Our 2023 survey, ’Climate change in the U.K. charity sector’, found that 71% of charities have been affected or expect to be affected by climate change in the future, but when asked if their charity has taken serious action to address climate change, more than half (52%) said either "No" or "Not sure".

 

The three most common reasons for lack of action were more pressing priorities (26%), lack of knowledge (17%), and cost (13%). We know that economic pressures in the charity sector likely build upon existing feelings of powerlessness surrounding the climate, making it harder for those working in charities to feel they can act. 

 

But charities are in many ways equipped to face the ongoing crisis.

 

There are lots of ways for organisations to improve the sustainability of their operations, including in their use of digital technology. Here are some of the reasons why the charity sector must consider environmental impact as a priority, taking the lead on facing the defining crisis of our time.

 

 

Charities are already society’s leaders in striving for a better world

 

“Charities are the eyes, ears and conscience of any society; advocacy is a central part of their work and a sign of a healthy democracy.” – The House of Lords, Stronger Charities for a Stronger Society, 2017.

 

Charity is founded on the intention to make the world a better place, and many charities are very successful at doing so. Although challenges may seem insurmountable, charities rally anyway – time and again – to do what they can.

 

This will to tackle the biggest problems we face today makes the charity sector special.

 

The not-for-profit basis of charities ideally allows them to strive for a better world without their actions being defined by financial competition. This means that the public expects charities to reflect the best of humanity, behave with compassion and integrity, and set an example for the rest of society in establishing the values and priorities of the time.

 

A 2021 People’s Postcode Lottery Survey found that information from environmental charities was “the single most important factor in motivating the public to adopt low carbon lifestyles, ahead of anything politicians say or what they see in the news”.

 

However, all types of charities have influence – perhaps even more so than they realise. In 2019, the UK Charity Commission stated that the value of charity extends to a “wider benefit to society through their broad role…as distinct to their specific impacts on individuals”. The commission warned charities against “mistakenly overlooking or even undermining [their] wider public benefit function…while focusing on the services [they] deliver”.

 

Charities should not then disregard their importance in contributing to the health of wider society. Paying attention to climate change should not be reserved for those charities for which climate change is their sole purpose. It is everyone’s responsibility to understand how they can play their part in facing and mitigating the climate crisis.

 

 

Climate change probably already links to your charity’s cause

 

Climate change impacts upon many charitable causes. The United Nations describe the process as a “risk multiplier”, meaning that it worsens existing challenges.

 

The broad areas that climate change impacts include:

• Poverty
• Food insecurity and hunger
• Social inequality – both globally and in the UK
• Clean water and sanitation
• Displacement and statelessness
• Physical and mental health
• Disability
• Education
• Conservation and biodiversity
• International peace and security

Charities with causes relating to these areas should take care to understand the impacts of climate change upon their primary cause and incorporate it into their practice. This will work to better serve those who are already affected by the crisis and build resilience by preparing for future challenges. This type of awareness may also help charities place themselves within the effort to mitigate climate change, thus also acting proactively upon their existing cause. 

 

It is important for charities to understand climate change as an all-encompassing crisis as opposed to an independent cause of its own. The impacts of the crisis are complex and extensive; it requires every effort to face its current impacts and mitigate its future ones.

 

Charities can and should set an example for individuals and other organisations by integrating the current and future impacts of the changing climate into their existing practice. 

 

 

Charities can help people to understand climate change in new ways

 

Charities without a clear link to climate change may still be able to incorporate the crisis creatively into the heart of their work. For example, arts and heritage charities such as galleries, libraries, and theatre groups might consider how they can spark productive cultural conversations about the topic, building a path for communities to process and respond to the crisis.

 

Holistic responses to the climate such as this could have great indirect impact, which although difficult to measure, could do their bit in working against common psychological reactions to the crisis such as cognitive dissonance and eco-anxiety.

 

The charity sector is a trusted source of information due to its lack of commercial and political incentive. Therefore, a true sector-wide incorporation of climate responsibility would be a clear signal to our wider society that climate change must be faced – that it cannot be ignored.

 

 

It is always necessary for charities to adapt as times change

 

In order to successfully serve their causes, charities should have an ongoing process of adapting to the changing world – from marketing changes in an evolving social media landscape to conducting regular user research to understand the continuously changing needs of your service users.

 

Adapting to the changing climate is no different: the climate shapes all life on earth. As it changes, so too will life change – and thus so will service users’ needs. The responsibility of a charity to address those needs includes both understanding and facing the impacts of the changing climate.

 

Larger charities may be more able to regularly adapt due to having more resources, and it follows that they should take the lead in doing so. But smaller charities can also make a huge difference despite their smaller capacity.

 

The independent think tank Common Vision has found that: “[T]he relationships and insights of organisations working at the grassroots mean they often best understand how to use softer local assets such as the knowledge, insights, and time of people…By contrast to large-scale, standardised models of service delivery, community-led services are often more adaptable and effective in their response to social issues.”

 

People are also less engaged when climate messages lack personal or local relevance. Charities (particularly smaller ones) then hold the key to engaging people in this global crisis at the local level.

 

It is important for all charities to determine their own role to play in facing the climate crisis. As former RSPB CEO Beccy Speight has noted, “Every charity has a clear purpose, but that purpose needs to be delivered in the context of today.”

 

 

Charities are uniquely placed to support each other in this challenge

 

Charities can take advantage of their less competitive sector by ensuring that they share resources that might prove helpful to other similar organisations. This simple act can make a big difference to smaller charities and support the wider public value of the sector. For example, sharing a sample environmental policy based on your own can save other charities time and resources in starting theirs from scratch.

 

Two good examples of this are these sample environmental policies by Community First Yorkshire and Voluntary Action Harrow Co-op.

 

Charities can also join sustainability networks such as Fit for the Future to share knowledge and collaborate on addressing the climate impacts of their own organisations, adapt to the changing climate, and develop resilience.

 

As charities learn new ways to incorporate facing the climate crisis into their practice, new types of resources should be shared in order to support sector-wide change on multiple levels. Our own Climate Resource Bank is a directory of climate resources for the charities. Our interviews with charity professionals also give great insights as to how charities are realistically tackling climate change in a range of ways.

 

The unique ability for charities to share resources in this way gives the sector the potential to become a powerful force in facing climate change. And it is charities’ responsibility to try their best to meet this potential.

 

 

Climate change is the defining crisis of our time

 

The condition of the climate intimately affects all life on Earth. For humans, the fact that our climate is changing has already caused widespread illness and death.

 

The World Health Organisation has defined climate change as “the single biggest health threat facing humanity”.

 

With adults failing to act proportionately, we are seeing children bearing the emotional burden of the crisis, feeling injustice about their inheritance of a neglected and damaged earth. The global School Strike for Climate movement has seen young people sacrifice time spent in education to advocate for the future of our planet.

 

No continent is left untouched by the impacts of climate change, and those countries that have historically caused the most damage still have a long way to go in turning around their impact.

 

When it comes to climate change, complacency is the enemy of progress. We cannot pass responsibility over to other systems; we must not stay living in hope without action. Charities are essential in leading the way to a brighter future. We must act now.