Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI)

A powerful mapping tool designed by ECCI researchers to help policymakers and communities better understand the wide-ranging social benefits of climate action has been referenced in the recently published Local Power Plan.

Published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Great British Energy, the Local Power Plan aims to set out a clear vision and plan to revolutionise the UK’s local and community energy sector.

The move signals an intention to measure, and where possible monetise, the local social and economic benefits that can come with community and local energy - a significant milestone for the UK Co-Benefits Atlas project.

The data Atlas was created to help people explore and learn about the co-benefits and co-costs of reaching net zero in the UK - visualising wide-ranging social and economic impacts and helping to deliver the outcomes communities in different parts of the UK want to see, as well as delivering on greenhouse emissions targets.

The open access tool utilises data modelling by the CO-BENS team at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) and was developed in collaboration with the School of Informatics. It shows that acting on climate is not just the right thing to do for the planet, but an incredibly effective way to invest in collective wellbeing and building a fairer and healthier society.

CO-BENS project lead, Andrew Sudmont, said: “This is a small but meaningful milestone for our team here at the ECCI and University of Edinburgh and exemplifies the gap the Atlas tries to address: making place‑based co‑benefits legible, comparable, and usable in real decisions.

If you’re building local power projects, working on social value measurement, or developing place‑based net zero strategies, we'd welcome a conversation!”

UK Co-Benefits Atlas

The UK Co-Benefits Atlas is designed to support smarter, fairer and more effective climate decision-making. It can be used in three key ways;

to explore UK-wide scenarios to see the national picture of how different climate polices deliver co-benefits across the country,
to focus on local areas to understand how communities might be affected and where action is needed most,
to support joined- up working by identifying where coordination between regions could lead to better outcomes.

Explore the data Atlas to understand connections between a wide range of social, economic and environmental priorities.

The UK Co-Benefits Atlas