Climate Change - Third Sector Task Force

The Ministerial and Third Sector Task Force on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development

The Third Sector Task Force on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development was set up in April 2009 and was jointly chaired by Ministers from Defra, Decc, the Office of the Third Sector and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Stephen Hale, Green Alliance, was elected as the third sector chair and there were 16 third sector leaders on the task force. The secretariat was provided by Green Alliance and NCVO.

The formation of this Task Force presented a real opportunity for organisations from across the sector to come together and harness our potential to tackle climate change and build sustainability.

Chief Executives' Breakfast - The Voluntary Sector and Climate Change

In April 2010 NCVO and Green Alliance organised a meeting with a range of chief executives from other VCOs. The aim of the meeting was to share the key messages of 'Shaping Our Future', the report published by the Task Force on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development, in order to further accelerate commitment and action on climate change throughout the voluntary and community sector.

Read the note of the breakfast meeting on climate change (PDF 161KB).

Shaping our Future

Shaping our Future is the final report published by the Task Force. It presents an inspiring vision for third sector action on climate change and sets out how this could be achieved over the following five years.

Download Shaping our Future (PDF, 2.57Mb)

Task Force Aims

The Task Force had three aims:

Develop a vision for third sector action on climate change, the environment and sustainable development;
Identify the specific roles of government and third sector organisations in achieving this vision;
Develop a partnership action plan with proposals to make this vision a reality.

The ultimate goal of the Task Force was to increase commitment and action on climate change and sustainability throughout the third sector.

Download the Task Force's Work Programme (PDF 77KB)
Download the Task Force's Terms of Reference (PDF 25KB)

The Task Force was jointly chaired by Ministers from Defra, Decc, the Office of the Third Sector and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Stephen Hale, Green Alliance, was elected as the third sector chair.

Members of the Task Force

Maria Adebowale, Capacity Global
Michael Allen, Wildlife Trusts
Maria Arce, Practical Action, and Bond
Liz Atkins, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
Lola Barret, Grenfell Housing Association, and National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
Sylvia Brown, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and the Community Sector Coalition (CSC)
Jo Butcher, National Children's Bureau
Tom Flood, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and the Association for Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO)
Stephen Hale, Green Alliance
Ben Hughes, British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres (Bassac) and the Community Sector Coalition (CSC)
Ian Jones, Volunteer Cornwall
Nigel Lowthrop, Hill Holt Wood and the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC)
Fay Mansell, National Federation of Women's Institutes
David Shreeve, Church of England and the Conservation Foundation
Roger Smith, British Red Cross
Clare Thomas, City Bridge Trust

NCVO has used the Task Force recommendations to help shape its current climate change activities. Find out more about NCVO's current work on climate change.