An extensive report pulled together by the Perth-based Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) following a series of recent climate emergency summits, has been presented to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – highlighting potential actions to tackle the climate crisis.
Using the convening power of the RSGS, 12 summits featuring 800 people from more than 400 organisations from across Scotland have generated 1600 practical solutions to the climate emergency.
The efforts have been captured in an interactive report sent to the First Minister ahead of the scheduled debate in Parliament, ‘COP 26 action and ambition’, on Wednesday October 27.
The report highlights the 10 Big Climate Solutions from the summits with the scale, pace and impact to drive the change needed.
It emphasises that climate change affects everyone and that everyone needs to pull together to tackle the emergency.
Climate change expert Alan Caldwell, who has facilitated these summits, said: “After COP, everyone must redouble their efforts to deliver solutions. We know what needs to be done, we know how to do it and we have the resources and expertise to make this happen. This is an emergency, so let’s start acting like it!”
In 2022 each one of these 10 Big Climate Solutions will be the subject of its own summit, this time focused on delivering that solution.
They demand huge changes, but Mike Robinson, the chief executive of RSGS said: “We need everyone round the table, everyone playing their part to be successful. Together we can build is a future that is far more exciting, local and fair than what we have now. If we get it right, there is a lot to look forward to.”
The 10 Big Climate Solutions from the summits are:
- Establish a Future Generations Commissioner for Scotland. To speak truth to power and to challenge, inspire and hold government and public agencies to account.
- A rigorous climate test for public policy and procurement. Every public policy and piece of expenditure should be measured against such a test. Outdated “sustainability tests’ need to be replaced with measures that ensure every decision and pound spent contributes to tackling the climate and nature emergencies.
- Repurpose and refit buildings to reduce their carbon impact. New planning, building regulations and investment criteria are urgently required to ensure our building stock is ready for a very different future.
- Reform the tax system to incentivise good behaviours. Taxes are the price we pay for a civilised society. The tax system needs to reflect the climate emergency, taxing the bad and incentivising the good.
- Create a transport system that is clean, active and public. As a huge emitter of greenhouse gas in the UK, we need far reaching and radical changes to ensure a transport system that is fair, accessible and net zero.
- Ensure access to local, organic and plant based diets for all. The Good Food Nation Bill is an excellent start and should be strengthened to create a farming and food industry that is able to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.
- Concentrate on the immediate transition from fossil fuels. As there is no scenario where fossil fuels can play a part in our energy future, our journey to generating all energy from renewable sources must be accelerated.
To find out more about the summits visit rsgs.org/climate-emergency-summits
