This article is written by Simon de Garis, Knowledge Transfer Manager, Innovate UK Business Connect & the Cross Government Climate Hub.

  • The problem: Across the public sector, it is difficult to know what is happening elsewhere - particularly in relation to the climate emergency - and how to find support, knowledge and experience to support ongoing goals.
  • Why it matters: Silo working hampers innovative ways of working and thinking and increases isolation - shared knowledge, experiences and resources are key to solving the climate emergency.
  • The solution: Working together!

January 2024 saw the migration and launch of the Cross Government Climate Hub joining Gov News in the UK with a successful launch event and much more to come throughout 2024.

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The Cross Government Climate Hub (CGCH) is a safe and supportive space for over 1,500 UK public sector workers and civil servants to network, collaborate, share resources and good practice, ask/answer questions and access peer support, as well as access a range of events delivered by the working groups within the community. The community was developed to address the climate and biodiversity crises, as often the public sector can be fragmented and lack collaborative coordination. The CGCH seeks to connect workers from across the UK to facilitate systemic action on these joint crises.

The CGCH will be continuing to develop a series of events across 2024, and much wider activity on the platform.

A partnership between the CGCH and Gov News is the perfect fit for both organisations. Gov News Direct, founded in 2014, aims to bring together the public sector across a range of topics, and aims to be a pivotal link between the various services. Developing collaborative, sustainable and inclusive public sector conversations, the CGCH sits prominently to lead the conversations around climate and net zero.

The launch and future events

The launch event hosted by the CGCH and Innovate UK Business Connect brought together over 150 public sector workers where attendees were able to hear from:

  • Nameerah Hameed, Advocacy Manager at Climate Outreach, who outlined the vital components of an effective government climate engagement strategy and the behavioural changes needed to support this
  • Simon Sharpe, Director of Economics for the UN Climate Champions, who discussed the interlinks between science, diplomacy and economics, and the importance of these vital levers in the race against climate change
  • Susan Krumdieck, Professor at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot Watt University, who discussed transition engineering and its importance in tackling climate change.

The panel presentations were incredibly insightful, and the Q&A session provided attendees with the opportunity to pose questions around the importance of transition engineering, the behaviour changes needed in organisations and local areas, and the individual changes we can make day to day to impact the work we do within the public sector.

The CGCH will be continuing to develop a series of events across 2024, and much wider activity on the platform.

If you are interested in finding out more or joining the Gov News community, visit gov.news/#join. If you would like to know more about the Cross Government Climate Hub and the ongoing work and activities, visit collectiveforclimateaction.org. You can watch the recording of the launch event here.

Done reading? Make sure to share your own thoughts on cross government collaboration by leaving a comment below ⬇️

(Image credit: Unsplash)