Violence against women and girls
In January 2025, the National Audit Office produced a report about the work of the Home Office to reduce violence against women and girls.
Read BBC article here.
Climate change
Members welcomed Claire and Hector to the February Social Meeting, for a very informative talk about the work of The Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is a not-for-profit body that offers consultancy and other services to big companies, major brands and a wide variety of organisations. It helps them to measure their climate impact and work out how to reduce it, in line with government policy.
The work of the Carbon Trust is part of the push to keep global warming below 1.5% by 2050. Scientific research has shown how necessary this is. Poorer people in poorer countries suffer more although they produce less carbon, and women are particularly affected. So it is important that major organisations contribute to the effort and reduce their impact on vulnerable communities.
Carbon emissions come from a country’s activities plus imports from abroad. The UK includes carbon emissions produced abroad in its statistics. Over 50 percent of UK emissions are produced elsewhere, reflecting the importance of imports to the country. Transport accounts for one third, heating buildings for one fifth, electricity for one tenth, then agriculture. It is important for the UK to reduce emissions from the first three sources.
Consumers can of course also help to reduce carbon emissions. For example: they can
- check where the items they buy have come from and try to buy locally and seasonally wherever possible.
- check the ‘green claims’ companies make about their products.
- improve the energy efficiency of their homes
- send a signal to their pension providers that they prefer investments in climate change-aware companies
From global to local
We are pleased to see that the members of Horsell Afternoon Women’s Institute in Woking are raising awareness about climate change locally:
