Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a rapid transformation of the UK economy that goes beyond focusing on the financial, regulatory and technological shifts and places citizens and communities at the heart of the transition. But what does that mean in practice and how can we achieve the level of public support for this to happen?

In the Local Just Transition Challenge, Forum for the Future is working with two distinct communities to demonstrate how the long-term benefits of the transition to a net-zero economy can be felt by everyone and to develop a best practice approach that can be scaled to build momentum for the just transition nationwide.

The first pilot is now underway in Selby, North Yorkshire, under the name Our Zero Selby. A key principle behind this project is that pilots are run by and for the local community. Our Zero Selby is therefore managed by local charity, Selby District AVS, with support from Forum and public participation charity, Involve.

Over the next 12 months, Our Zero Selby will develop a community-led vision for Selby's future, prioritise ideas for local action and start working on turning ideas into action.

Having provided core funding in 2020, in 2021 Treebeard Trust committed two years of funding to support Forum's Local Just Transitions work.