Civil Service
Carbon Literacy Toolkit for the Civil Service
What is the Carbon Literacy® Civil Service Toolkit?
The Carbon Literacy Civil Service Toolkit provides civil servants with the tools to integrate climate change into their day-to-day decision making and role, collaboratively create and implement tangible solutions and engage with their department’s or ALB’s sustainability goals and net zero targets. The day’s worth of interactive, action-based training is a comprehensive, yet adaptable framework, empowering civil servants with the knowledge and agency to make informed low carbon choices and equipping them for their responsibilities in delivering net zero.
The Toolkit is one of a suite of Public Sector Toolkits commissioned by the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) via the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The initial materials were partly co-written by DESNZ and piloted by a panel of government departments.
How Carbon Literacy can help your organisation meet climate goals
Carbon Literacy empowers civil servants to make informed decisions to address the scale and urgency of the climate emergency. By embedding awareness of the climate impacts of different decisions and providing the knowledge, motivation and ability to optimise civil servants’ contribution to tackling climate change. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that the cost of early action could halve the net zero fiscal cost of getting to net zero by 2050 compared to acting late, demonstrating one of the many co-benefits of climate action.
Courses
Civil Service Generic Staff Course
The Civil Service Generic Staff course provides civil servants with the opportunity to complete a full day’s worth of certified Carbon Literacy training. It offers practical guidance on reducing emissions, champions best practice and facilitates knowledge sharing and collaborative action planning.
Audience
Designed and pre-accredited for delivery to staff within central government departments, agencies and public bodies.
Delivery method
The course is a day’s worth of interactive training and uses a variety of activities, group discussions and videos, along with presenter-led content. It can be delivered face-to-face or via an online video conferencing platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. You can choose to deliver the whole course in one day or divide the delivery of the modules over several sessions.
Key Questions
The Toolkit is pre-accredited for the delivery of certified Carbon Literacy training to central government departments, agencies and public bodies – we work with a wide breadth of government departments and ALBs.
If you would like to find out more or if you would like to adapt the Civil Service Toolkit for the delivery of Carbon Literacy to a different sector or audience, please get in touch at [email protected].
The Toolkit consists of all the resources needed to deliver training: a slide deck with slide-by-slide delivery notes, a comprehensive trainer guide, activity resources, a getting started pack and further resources. The content is regularly updated to align with the latest climate change science, policy and best practice.
The training is designed to be delivered in-house, but can also be delivered by external training providers. The materials consist of everything you need to deliver a day’s worth of interactive training, including comprehensive delivery notes and step-by-step guidance.
To deliver the training, you just need to be certified as Carbon Literate yourself and have attended a free, 90 minute Delivering Successful Carbon Literacy session, which covers training tips and guidance.
Access to the Civil Service Toolkit is available for a two-year period at a fee. For most UK-based government organisations, the toolkit fee will be capped at £1,600 + VAT. Please contact [email protected] to find out more.
We have an organisation accreditation route which provides the opportunity to showcase your organisation’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and creating a low-carbon culture.
We work closely with CSCEN, the UK Civil Service’s largest climate and environment network, connecting over 10,000 members across 120+ departments. Through events, resources, mentoring, and career support, CSCEN is helping embed sustainability at the heart of government. You can find out more about the network, including how to join, by visiting their website.
Civil Service in Action
British Antarctic Survey: Climate Research to Climate Action
Learn how the British Antarctic Survey turned awareness into agency and values into action with Carbon Literacy.
The world’s first Carbon Literate Embassy
The British Embassy in Zagreb is home to the world’s first Carbon Literate Ambassador.
Ed Miliband Backs CL Action Day
Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, shares support of CLAD 2024.
The first Gold CLO in the sector
Discover the Environment Agency's' journey to become the first in the sector to achieve Gold CLO status.
“We want everybody in the organisation to understand that their job is actually a climate job … Carbon Literacy is helping people to understand I can do something about this. I might not be working in the sustainability team – but I can do something.”
Simon Dawes, Head of Net Zero and Circular Economy, Environment Agency
“In September 2021, the department launched its Carbon Literacy training programme to build capability within DfT staff to enable the delivery of Net Zero. The training is accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project (a charitable organisation) and it reflects the department’s commitment to establish a sustainable low carbon culture that will support the transition to Net Zero.”
The Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson CBE, Former Secretary of State for Transport
“The Carbon Literacy Project provides really useful tools for getting staff to think about carbon impacts and possible reductions. The training sparked some interesting conversations between staff and helped inspire us to incorporate environmental considerations into our day jobs.”
Eliza Prettyman, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
“The training will help us all understand our impacts on the environment, our individual and collective carbon footprints, and the actions we can take to reduce these at work and at home. It will help educate, inform and inspire us to make better decisions and change our behaviours – and to influence others to do the same.”
Shelly Beckett, Strategic Planning Manager at Environment Agency
“One of our biggest priorities is to boost Carbon Literacy within the government property profession and deliver a learning and development programme for the thousands of property professionals working on property in government.”
Dr Janet Young, Government Head of Property Profession at Cabinet Office
Delivering Organisations
Get in Touch
To speak to our Civil Service team, please contact us at [email protected], and include the following information:
- Your organisation and role
- Why you are interested in Carbon Literacy