News about the worrying impact of Climate Change has left many people wondering what they can do to make a difference.

Monmouthshire County Council has been working to help tackle the climate emergency, and has just announced a new free training course called ‘Carbon Literacy’ for community council/building representatives and for residents of Monmouthshire and the rural parts of Newport.

The Carbon Literacy Project is an internationally recognised training programme that promotes climate change understanding and helps individuals and organisations to make changes to reduce carbon emissions. On average, individuals who take part in the training reduce their emissions by 5-15%.

The training, aimed at town and community councils, community buildings and residents will be available from this month, through February and March 2022. This training is being funded through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

Feedback from previous participants showed that those who took part found it really helpful to understand practical steps they can take to reduce their carbon emissions.  One participant said: “I finished my carbon literacy course this week, it was really fab, great ideas for home and work, great opportunity to network.”

Councillor Jane Pratt, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Monmouthshire County Council, said:

“It is really important that people realise that individual actions make a big difference when it comes to climate change. We are really pleased that we’ve got the funding to be able to offer excellent, internationally recognised, thought-provoking training to local residents. As well as helping to understand the science and the scale of the problem, the Carbon Literacy training focusses on actions that individuals can take at home, in their communities and in their workplace to reduce carbon.”

The delivery of Carbon Literacy training in Monmouthshire forms an important part of the council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan. Places are limited and will be offered on a first come first served basis, visit Free Carbon Literacy Training – Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales (www.cynnalcymru.com/free-carbon-literacy-training) book your place as soon as possible.