Keep Scotland Beautiful develops and delivers Climate Emergency Training
Taking action on the issue of climate change
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has developed and delivered Climate Emergency Training to help us take action to tackle the climate crisis.
Last year we declared a climate emergency across the Scottish Borders, reflecting its commitment to action on the issue of climate change.
This was followed earlier this year with the development of a Climate Change Route Map aimed at setting the Scottish Borders on a path to ‘net zero’ by 2045, in which the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced do not exceed what is absorbed naturally or through technology.
Climate emergency training
Having provided the training to two pilot groups of employees, we are keen to roll out the training more widely across the council to enable both the local authority as a whole and individuals to reduce their carbon emissions.
The training looks at how the authority will be impacted by climate change, the practical actions needed to reduce emissions, the science of climate change and the significant changes we will all need to adapt to as Scotland moves to a net zero future.
Building upon the work we have done so far
Our climate change route map establishes a framework for action based on five themes:
- resilience
- transport use
- nature based solutions
- energy
- waste management
Over many years we have made significant changes in how we operate, build and improve facilities and work generally as part of a commitment to reducing our impact on the climate.
This has included:
- a huge reduction in the household waste sent to landfill and associated increase in recycling rates, to over 56% in the year to December 2020
- an estimated saving of over 74 tonnes of CO2 in 2019-20 from the pool car fleet
- implementing LED technology in street lights to reduce both maintenance and energy use
- an increasingly electric or hybrid vehicle fleet
- installation of electric vehicle charging points across the region
- the development of a Sustainable Procurement Charter
- a print project with IT partner CGI to reduce paper use which has saved over 38 tonnes of CO2
In May 2019, the Scottish Government declared a climate emergency and has pledged to drastically reduce emissions from Scotland in the next 10 years. This will mean new legislation and technology that will bring significant changes to the way that we do life and business in Scotland.
Keep Scotland Beautiful is the only Carbon Literacy Training Organisation in Scotland, and as part of the training, each participant will receive a certificate of Carbon Literacy from the Carbon Literacy Project and the opportunity to apply for Carbon Literate Organisation status.
The training is available for all local authorities and interested councils should contact Keep Scotland Beautiful to find out more.
Councillor Sandy Aitchison, Executive Member for Sustainable Development
“Tackling climate change is a major priority for Scottish Borders Council and we have made important strides towards becoming more sustainable and significantly reducing emissions through the creation of our Climate Change Route Map.
“The Council is a community leader and must be at the forefront of positive change here in the Scottish Borders. This starts by giving our staff the understanding and of the challenges climate change presents and the knowledge to be able to think and work proactively to make meaningful changes that promote sustainability and a greener future.
“The climate emergency training has been vital in helping us raise this awareness amongst staff and enables us to promote positive change across our communities more effectively.”
Catherine Gee, Deputy Chief Executive for Keep Scotland Beautiful
“We are delighted to have developed our Climate Emergency Training for Scottish Border Council. The climate crisis and Scotland’s journey to net zero is going to require everyone to adapt and change their way of working and we are extremely pleased the local authority is taking steps to play its part. We hope that other councils will follow in their footsteps and learn how to adapt their ways of working to reduce their emissions and provide a better future for our country and our planet.”