Amany Elshamy is an Islington resident and member of the Islington Climate Panel, a group of 34 Islington residents who have been working closely with the council since April 2024 to help shape their plans for making the borough more resilient to climate change.

The panellists learnt about climate science and climate risk from a range of experts, including speakers from the GLA, UCL and council officers. They then worked together to develop proposals and principles for building climate resilience in Islington, which have been reviewed by council officers. In this interview, Amany reflects on her experience of being part of the panel

Amany Elshamy on her involvement in Islington Climate Panel – a year-long resident engagement project which empowered local people to help shape the council’s response to climate change

How did you become involved in the Climate Panel?

I received a letter from the council about taking part. I liked the idea because climate change is such a big topic worldwide. We often see countries speaking about what they’re doing and how they’re reducing their emissions, but I’ve never felt like I can do something about it as an individual. So when I saw the letter I thought, this is my chance to actually participate.

How did you feel when you went to the first session?

I was worried that I didn’t have enough information about climate change and I was thinking that maybe I wouldn’t be that much use on the panel. When I got there, the council staff told us that we don’t have to worry because they would provide information for us, which was great.

They started with the basics about climate change. They also told us about some solutions coming from around the world, including tree planting, and they showed us some of their own projects that they have been working on.

What was the process like?

We met as a panel for nine sessions. At each one, council staff gave us information cut down into small pieces that we can digest. Then they gave us a task related to the information.

They also guided our discussions, because there were a lot of different people and ideas. They tried to make sure that everyone in the team was voicing their own ideas and no one was left out.

We sat down after those nine sessions and worked out, as a group, a set of principles that we think climate work should follow. After that, we spoke with experts and decided to make our own proposals for specific work the council could do.

Which ideas do you feel most passionate about?

I’m especially passionate about the proposals around how we can respond to heatwaves. Some of these ideas seem easier to put in place quickly, compared to bigger projects. I was fascinated by the concept of cool spaces – places you can go to when it’s too hot. I’d never heard of that before.

When they told us about it, I thought: this is something real, something I could actually do if I’m at home and it’s too hot. I could just go to a shelter and spend the day there with other people, keeping cool. I’m also passionate about the proposal to install water stations across Islington. They’re really needed. It’s better to be prepared than to face another heatwave with no plan in place.

How did you feel about hearing from the council on how the process is progressing?

I’m optimistic. I can see that the council is putting real effort into implementing the principles and proposals we developed. They’re also adapting where needed. Sometimes a proposal might be too ambitious or unrealistic but they’re making things happen. I really appreciate their efforts. It’s a huge thing.

A year on from the start of the project, what are you taking away from this experience?

First of all, I’ve gained a whole new understanding of climate change. I’ve learned so much and it feels good to have done something meaningful for the borough. I also met lots of people from different backgrounds – it helped grow my social circle, and that was a really nice part of it.

I tried to participate in lots of activities the team organised – for example, speaking in videos or introducing what we’d been working on at events. I pushed myself to join in everything, and that gave me a lot of courage. It’s been a great experience.

What are your hopes for how Islington – and London more broadly – will tackle climate change in the future?

I hope other boroughs will take the same approach our council did: asking people for their opinions and involving citizens in the process. I’m confident our council is doing their best, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see our proposals on the streets of Islington soon. It would be amazing to one day point to something and say, we did that.

Involving residents clears up a lot of misunderstandings people might have about the council. I remember several people on the panel saying they’d been quite critical before. But through the process, they came to understand the challenges the council faces and saw that they are genuinely working hard.

Collaboration also leads to better results. The council alone could do a good job, and residents might do things on their own too. But together, we produced ideas that were stronger and better.

The council recently held a launch event for panellists, officers, councillors and partners, where they launched a report of the process and shared the next steps with panellists. Read the report and look out for information on next steps on the council website.