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The Benefits of Community-led Climate Action

Overview

Title: The benefits of community-led climate action: How can the total benefits of community-led climate action be understood and measured?

Programme/Funder: The National Lottery Community Fund, Arup

Authors: Luke Nolan, Alice Garvey, Alice Owen, Jon Kedwards

Time Period: May-August 2025

Themes: community climate action, co-benefits, evidence review

Context/Challenge

There is a growing body of evidence on the co-benefits of climate action at a range of scales, from local to national. In a climate context, co-benefits, (co)benefits, or simply ‘benefits’ are used to describe positive outcomes of actions beyond their intended effect on either climate mitigation or adaptation (for instance, improvements to public health).

There are increasing efforts to measure co-benefits, to enable them to be embedded in decision-making tools. For instance, to allow Local Authorities to recognise the co-benefits of climate action in municipal budget planning. However, there is a gap in the evidence linking co-benefits to different forms of community climate action, particularly as existing evidence is very context-specific.

This is especially relevant to community projects, such as those funded by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund (CAF). The CAF was set up in 2019 by The National Lottery Community Fund, and supports a range of community-led projects that focus on reducing carbon emissions, enhancing climate resilience, and fostering sustainable practices at the local level.

Objectives

The aim of the report was to provide an accessible framework with which National Lottery Climate Action Fund grant holders could map the co-benefits of their climate action projects, enabling grant holders to understand, and potentially monitor, the full impact of their projects. The main objectives of the research were:

  • To synthesise academic and grey literature to understand the evidence base relating to community climate action categories and co-benefits;
  • To develop an accessible framework and guidance for CAF grant holders including categories of action and the associated co-benefits;
  • To visualise the relationships between types of climate action and their co-benefits;
  • To outline potential indicators which could be used to measure these community co-benefits.

Our Approach

The project involved a narrative literature review using academic literature databases (such as Google Scholar and Web of Science) as well as searches of the grey literature (for instance corporate and third-sector sources). These sources were used to gather and synthesise evidence on co-benefits of community-led climate action.

Key outputs from the project include a report from the University of Leeds, as well as a summary report produced by Arup. Both are available in The National Lottery Community Fund’s Evidence Library.

A valuable outcome from the work was the accessibility of the project findings by translating mainly academic evidence into systems maps and other infographic methods. This resulted in a resource which has practical application for grant holders, and could ultimately be used to recognise and evaluate the wider value of CAF projects beyond their immediate impact (for instance on emissions reductions).

Key Findings

The evidence synthesis identified several key insights about the co-benefits of community-led climate action.

Importantly, the research found that from a community’s perspective, many of the most meaningful benefits of climate action projects are the non-climate impacts. Valued non-climate impacts relate to improvements in everyday quality of life, such as improving mental and physical health, reducing living costs, offering work, training or recreation opportunities, and creating pride in local places. These impacts provide clear and immediate value to communities. The research also found that community-led climate action offers unique advantages for positive impact due to being rooted in local knowledge and responding directly to community needs.

The framework produced by the project identified six main categories of community-led climate action, including: nature; energy; water, waste, consumption and re-use; food; transport; and public engagement. Across these areas, four categories of co-benefits emerged: environmental; economic; socio-cultural; and health.

The research found limited evidence of existing indicators for community co-benefit mapping. However, participatory approaches, such as community monitoring, were identified as valuable and accessible methods.

Together, the framework, step-by-step guidance, systems maps and other visual outputs produced by the project are intended to support CAF grant holders and other stakeholders working on community climate action. They offer a structured way to understand co-benefits, plan interventions and capture outcomes that matter to local communities.

Impact

The report produced during the course of this research is intended for use within the CAF Learning and Support Partnership. This partnership was established to connect over 130 community climate projects with expert support. The 7-year partnership is led by Arup, in collaboration with the Innovation Unit, Creature & Co., and the University of Leeds.

This research provided the first output from the University of Leeds’ collaboration with Arup in support of CAF.  A series of research reports is being used both to shape future rounds of CAF grants, and to develop the evaluation model for how grants are used.

Further Information

About the Climate Action Fund

The Climate Action Fund (CAF) is a ten-year, £100 million funding programme that inspires and enables communities across the UK to take action on climate change. It was set up in 2019 by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK and aims to contribute to a broader movement of change. To date, more than 150 projects have been funded, engaging people in community-led climate action in communities across the UK.

About the Learning and Support Partnership

CAF Learning and Support Partners are working with Climate Action Fund grant holders and The National Lottery Community Fund to connect projects, build capacity, generate evidence and learning, and communicate their work to inspire communities across the UK to take bold climate action and create a more sustainable future for all. Known as the CAF Learning and Support Partnership, this work is led by Arup, alongside the Innovation Unit, Creature & Co., and the University of Leeds.

Publications:

Contact information

For more information about this project, please contact Alice Garvey [email protected]