News

MusicFutures and Future Yard have joined forces to launch a new Carbon Literacy course designed specifically for professionals working across the music sector, with the first 100 participants from the Liverpool City Region able to access the training for free.

The new one-day course brings an internationally recognised Carbon Literacy qualification into the local context of Liverpool’s creative and music industries, equipping participants with the knowledge, tools and confidence to take meaningful action on climate change.

The initiative is supported by MusicFutures, a research and business innovation programme funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and led by the University of Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University. MusicFutures aims to position the Liverpool City Region as a global hub for music research, development and innovation.

Future Yard is a community music venue established to drive social and cultural change in Birkenhead. Its sustainability programme, powered by Ecotricity Business, uses music and creativity as a platform for climate action, from campaigning for better public transport to pioneering the use of green energy.

With the impacts of the climate crisis increasingly being felt across Liverpool City Region, the partnership recognises that meaningful change requires collective action across the creative sector.

Building practical skills for climate action

Carbon Literacy is an internationally recognised, UN-recognised qualification designed to empower individuals and organisations to understand climate change and take effective action.

Delivered over one day, the new course will explore the foundations of climate science, the impacts of climate change, relevant local and global policy, and the specific challenges and opportunities facing the creative industries and music venues.

Participants will learn how to:

• Understand the foundations of climate science and the impacts of climate change.

• Explore the local and global policy context surrounding climate action.

• Understand the environmental impacts of the creative industries and music venues.

• Apply carbon accounting principles to their organisation and day-to-day work.

• Identify opportunities to reduce their climate impact and make meaningful changes.

• Lead climate initiatives and embed sustainability within their organisation.

• Develop an actionable, evidence-based plan for climate action.

Connecting Liverpool’s creative community

The programme is designed to go beyond achieving a qualification. Participants will become part of a network of 100 professionals and organisations from across the music sector in the Liverpool City Region, creating opportunities to share knowledge, collaborate and build momentum around local climate action.

By combining practical training with a regional network, the programme aims to help music professionals translate concern about climate change into coordinated, evidence-based action.

Carbon Literacy provides a framework for embedding climate-conscious decision-making into organisations, helping build the knowledge and capacity needed to make sustainability part of everyday professional practice.

For the music sector and beyond, that means looking at climate action not simply as a challenge, but as an opportunity for innovation and collaboration — and for helping shape a low-carbon future in which communities and local economies can thrive.

Take part

The first 100 participants from the Liverpool City Region can access the Carbon Literacy course for free through the support of MusicFutures.

Places are limited, so music professionals and organisations interested in developing their knowledge and taking practical action on climate change are encouraged to secure their place while spaces remain available.

You can apply via our opportunities page on the MusicFutures website or apply direct here