Scottish towns supported in driving net zero transition

Seven towns have been chosen to help tackle the impact of climate change and secure a just transition to net zero, through the Scottish government’s Climate Action Towns programme.

The new scheme aims to empower communities to come together and engage in climate action, considering the unique challenges and opportunities each town faces.

Communities in the seven towns will be offered support to find ways of making local changes to help tackle climate change and engage people who may not have previously been involved with climate action.

The project will be delivered through collaboration between local people and agencies and their collective vision for what their Climate Action Town looks like, with the outcomes from the work expected to be used to outline learning for climate action on a town scale.

The programme will be delivered by design agency, Architecture and Design Scotland, with £146,000 funding from the Scottish government.

The selected towns include Alness, Annan, Blackburn, Campbeltown, Holytown, Invergordon and Stevenston.

Just transition minister, Richard Lochhead, said: ‘It is clear that we must decarbonise industry and society in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but we must do so in a way that is fair for everyone and leaves no one behind. Scotland was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, so we see it as only right that Scotland is at the forefront of this green revolution.

‘We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make changes in a way that will be good for our people, our communities, our economy and our planet – we must seize it.

‘Tackling the climate crisis requires all of us, at every level, to get involved. We can all make a difference. The Climate Action Towns project aims to support and empower communities to have a say on how their local areas should change as part of a fair and just transition to net zero. I look forward to seeing how the towns that are taking part rise to the challenge and find ways that will not only make a difference locally but to Scotland and indeed the world.’

Architecture and Design Scotland’s chief executive, Jim MacDonald, added: ‘The climate emergency demands urgent action from us all. For Scotland to adapt to the impacts of climate change, we are all going to need to work together to adapt the ways we live, work, play and move in our cities, towns and villages. Considering that half of Scotland’s population live in towns, it is vital towns are a key focus in the fight against climate change.’

In related news, an additional £150m has been announced by the deputy minister for climate change to retrofit social homes with new technologies and insulation in order to help cut Wales’ emissions.

Photo by Gary Ellis