Intuitive new climate action tracker for local authorities

Digital platform from Anthesis makes it easier to monitor impact data and report on local climate action. 

Climate action is an increasing priority for local authorities – more than 300 in the UK have declared a climate emergency. Numerous action plans and strategies aim to respond to this emergency, but co-ordinating progress on these and reporting to stakeholders can present serious challenges. It’s not always easy to stay on track.

That’s why sustainability activator Anthesis brought together 15 local authorities from across the UK to help develop an intuitive digital solution. 

The new impact tracker is a reporting and tracking tool that makes it easier to collaborate, monitor and report transparently. 

A local action plan or strategy can be visualised across key impact areas or themes. These include biodiversity, the built environment, renewable generation and transport. Further metrics can then be added against actions, such as deadlines or stakeholder responsibility. 

The tracker also provides a range of ways to measure and review the impact of local initiatives, with more than 40 key performance indicators (KPIs) already loaded onto the system. These include building stock performance, land management, macro-scale emissions data and renewable generation. Further sources will be added to this library, such as data unique to a user’s local area. 

Georgia James, Environmental Data Officer at Camden Borough Council says: ‘Anthesis Impact Tracker is extremely user-friendly. Having all our data sourced in one place helps to provide insights into the progress of our Climate Action Plan. The dashboard is a great step forward for reporting and data transparency.’ 

Sara Telahoun, Principal Climate Change Consultant at Anthesis, added: ‘Working with local authorities on their climate action planning, we have observed that no strategy is ever static. Successfully managing progress and communicating internally and externally with stakeholders enables robust action. We are delighted to launch Anthesis Impact Tracker to meet this growing need.’ 

The tracker is the latest software-as-a-service (SaaS) tool developed by Anthesis, following the success of the Scatter greenhouse gas reporting tool now used by 80% of UK local authorities. Visit the Anthesis website to book a demonstration of the impact tracker. 

In related news, the shortlist for this year’s Ashden Awards includes 12 UK projects, four of them energy innovation that will help accelerate net zero.

Photo by Eberhard Grossgasteiger