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Edinburgh adapts: city launches climate change action plan

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A plan to improve Edinburgh’s resilience to climate change has been launched. Edinburgh Adapts 2016-2020 is the city’s first climate change action plan, and aims to help the city prepare for and adapt to the effects of a changing climate.

The plan has been developed by the Edinburgh Sustainable Development Partnership in collaboration with Adaptation Scotland and more than 40 key stakeholders from across the city. It was unveiled on Thursday by Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of the Edinburgh Sustainable Development Partnership, and Ruth Monfries, Chair of the Edinburgh Adapts Steering Group, along with Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of the Edinburgh Sustainable Development Partnership, said: “While we’re making every effort to address the causes of climate change, we can’t avoid the fact that its impacts are already affecting us.

“By working with partners to produce Edinburgh Adapts, we are able to better understand the effects a changing climate will have, enabling us to become both a resilient city and a greener, safer and healthier place to live.”

Climate Change Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, said: “Tackling the effects of climate change is crucial as the challenges of increasingly unpredictable weather and extreme conditions are only likely to increase if we don’t take action now.

“That’s why I’m delighted to welcome Edinburgh’s first Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan which is ambitious but achievable with the medium to long-term vision of Edinburgh Adapts telling the story of Edinburgh’s adaptation journey to 2050. It provides us with an illustration of what we could do to make us more resilient to the impacts of climate change when public and private stakeholders, the third sector and community groups work together.

“Scotland has set an example to the world by exceeding its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets six years early, but we cannot be complacent and must work with a wide range of partners to build on the strong progress we have made and be ready to deal with the impacts of climate change we know are coming.”

Ruth Monfries, Chair of the Edinburgh Adapts Steering Group, added: “Raising awareness of the impacts of climate change and sharing knowledge can help us better manage the risks and realise the opportunities in being well prepared – to help us ensure that a climate ready Edinburgh remains a great place to live, work and visit.

“Organisations across the city are working together to help Edinburgh meet the challenges of a changing climate. The first Edinburgh Adapts action plan sets out the initial steps towards achieving our vision. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and partners on the steering group are collaborating on actions to make this happen.”

Edinburgh Adapts builds on the Resilient Edinburgh Climate Change Adaptation Framework, which was approved by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee in 2014, and provides a platform for bringing together adaptation activity from across the city.

In line with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, actions aim to respond to climate changes which, if current trends continue as projected, will result in warmer, drier summers and milder, wetter winters.

As well as ensuring overall governance of adaptation in the city, the plan aims to protect and enhance Edinburgh’s wildlife and green spaces, providing nature-based solutions to climate-related problems. Planning and development play a key role in ensuring the city adapts, including the use of green infrastructure to offset predicted changes in weather and rainfall and naturalising flood prevention measures when feasible. Actions involving working with communities and raising awareness of the impacts of climate change on local areas are also integral to the plan.

Its progress will be overseen by a steering group including representatives from the Council, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Edinburgh Living Landscapes, The University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh College, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh World Heritage and Adaptation Scotland.

In conjunction with Edinburgh Adapts, Our Vision for a Climate Ready Edinburgh has been developed by partners which, aims to tell the story of Edinburgh’s adaptation journey, first in 2025 and then in 2050.

Find out more about Edinburgh Adapts online.

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meets this afternoon

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership

Public Meeting

At 2pm on Wednesday 30th November 2016

City of Edinburgh Council North Office

8 West Pilton Gardens

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The main focus of the meeting will be current and planned Transport Planning across the area – and how this links with local regeneration activity.  Continue reading Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meets this afternoon

And more on Localities ….

More opportunities to have your say in Forth and Inverleith 

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Work is now well underway in shaping the new 2017 – 2022 Locality Improvement Plan for North West Edinburgh and it’s important that you can tell us what you think needs to happen in the next five years (writes Elaine Lennon).

We are focusing on the themes of Place; Health & Social Care; Community Safety; Children, young people and families; and Employment. Some of you might have been involved already but you might have something else you think you wish to add to the process.

You can do this online by clicking on this link. Simply go to the North West link and thinking of the themes above, let us have your thoughts on how things should be in 2022. We will gather in all of the comments and look to see where there are similarities and then we will ask the communities of North West to rank those statements to help identify the future priorities. If you prefer, you can attend one of these focus groups to give us your views:

  • Health – An Inverleith specific focus group is on TODAY Monday 28th Nov, 2.30-4pm at LifeCare
  • Children & Young People – A joint Forth / Inverleith focus group looked at services for Children and Young People and a second one is planned on Tuesday to look specifically at Support to families and parenting- on Tuesday 29th Nov, West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre 10-12.
  • Place – A final Inverleith specific event will be held in Stockbridge Library on Monday 5th Dec, 2-3.30pm where the main focus will be on ‘place’ – environment, parks etc.

We hope that you can either join us at one of the above focus groups, or give your views on the link above. Please distribute this link throughout your networks.

Thanks

Elaine

Lifesavers: 60,000 Scots trained in CPR

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More than 60,000 people across Scotland have been given life-saving CPR training in the last 12 months – as part of an unprecedented national collaboration of more than a dozen organisations including emergency services, defence and third sector – to improve the response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Continue reading Lifesavers: 60,000 Scots trained in CPR

Edinburgh excels at Literary Awards

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A trio of Edinburgh writers and an Edinburgh Publishing company have won prestigious awards as part of the 2016 Saltire Literary Awards, announced last night at Central Hall in Tollcross.

Beating off strong competition from publications ranging from a true life thriller set in a remote crofting community to an evocative historical account of the Sutherland Clearances, Edinburgh raised Edinburgh University alumnus Kathleen Jamie’s latest poetry collection, The Bonniest Companie was named 2016 Saltire Society Book of the Year after winning the Saltire Scottish Poetry Book of the Year Award at this year’s awards ceremony.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh born John Kay, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford, won the Saltire Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award for his most recent work, Other People’s Money: Masters of the Universe or Servants of the People?, a critical and revelatory tour of the financial world as it has emerged from the wreckage of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Edinburgh based freelance journalist Chitra Ramaswamy was named joint winner of this year’s Saltire Scottish First Book of the Year Award for her first novel Expecting, a beautiful, terrifying, and emotional reflection on her own pregnancy. University of Glasgow graduate Isabel Buchanan was a joint recipient of the First Book Award for her inaugural novel Trials, an examination of justice and injustice from the perspective of inmates on Pakistan’s death row.

Edinburgh publishing company Floris Books won the Publisher of the year award and, as part of the Saltire Society’s 80th anniversary celebrations, a fully funded placement on the renowned Yale Publishing Course, a week-long intensive classroom-based course hosted on the beautiful and historic Yale University Campus in New Haven, Connecticut in the USA. Floris Books Design and Production Manager Leah McDowell also emerged as the inaugural winner of the Emerging Publisher of the year award, a new addition to the 2016 awards roster in celebration of the Saltire Society’s 80th year.

Meanwhile, University of Edinburgh student Daniel Shand won the Saltire Society International Travel Bursary, supported by the British Council Scotland, which will allow him to travel to Berlin to research European history for his next novel through visits to the Museum of European Cultures, as well as the Stasi Museum, Jewish Museum, and the Topography of Terror.

Now firmly established as Scotland’s most prestigious annual book awards, the Saltire Society Literary Awards are supported by Creative Scotland and celebrate and support literary and academic excellence across six distinct categories. The winner of each individual book award wins a £2,000 cash prize and goes forward to be considered for the Saltire Book of the Year award and an accompanying cash prize of £6,000.

Other award winners this year included His Bloody Project, Graeme MacraeBurnet’s engrossing novel about the true 19th Century case of a multiple murder in a remote crofting community and winner of the Saltire Scottish Fiction Book of the Year award. Set Adrift Upon the World, an evocative account of the Sutherland clearances by James Hunter, was named winner of the History Book of the Year award while Sebastiaan Verweij’s indepth examination of Scottish literary history The Literary Culture of Early Modern Scotland, took the Research Book of the Year award.

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Scottish Poetry Book of the Year award winner Kathleen Jamie (above) said: “I’m delighted that The Bonniest Companie has been named ‘Scottish Poetry Book of the Year’, but also a bit embarrassed. It was a terrifically strong shortlist, any of us could have won.  Scotland makes very good poets – a fact that’s still not acknowledged as it ought to be.  I’m grateful to the judges. It couldn’t have been an easy decision.”

Saltire Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award winner John Kay said: “I am honoured to receive this award. I have tried to write clearly and comprehensibly about money and finance. I am delighted at this recognition of that effort and hope it will encourage others in the same endeavour.”

Commenting on winning the Saltire Scottish First Book of the Year Award, Chitra Ramaswamy said: “I’m so delighted to have won First Book of the Year for Expecting. It means so much to have my first book recognised by such a prestigious award and to join such an impressive roll call of previous winners. Thank you!”

Katy Lockwood-Holmes, Publisher & Chief Executive at Floris Books, winner of the Saltire Publisher of the Year award said: “Floris has had a sparkling year, but the honour of being named Scottish Publisher of the Year is undoubtedly the crowning achievement. We’re so proud that children’s books, in particular, are being recognised at the highest level. This award is dedicated to the people who have built Floris over four decades: our brilliant authors and illustrators, our creative and tireless team, and the wonderful Scottish literary community who has supported us throughout.”kathleen-jamie
Leah McDowell, Design & Production Manager at Floris Books, winner of the inaugural Saltire Emerging Publisher of the Year Award added: “I’m truly delighted to have won this inaugural award which celebrates all the amazing, emerging talent that makes the Scottish publishing industry so rich and lively. Publishing is a team effort so big thanks to Floris Books, which has supported me from the beginning, and of course to the immensely talented illustrators I have the privilege to work with every day.”

Executive Director of the Saltire Society Jim Tough said: “This has been another terrific year for the Saltire Literary Awards and an extra special one as we celebrate our 80th anniversary. Every one of the individual book awards were hotly contested, making the judges’ decision a particularly challenging one. The same was also true of this year’s Publisher of the Year Award and new for this year, the Emerging Publisher of the Year Award.

“My congratulations to all of the winners and my heartfelt thanks to the judging panel and to all of our partners and supporters who helped to make the 2016 Saltire Literary Awards such a resounding success. We are proud to have seen these awards grow to embrace every aspect of literary Scotland; the emerging and the established, the academic and the poetic, fiction, non- fiction and publishing. Excellence is the common thread, built on the integrity and freely given commitment of our expert panels.”

Jenny Niven, Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing at Creative Scotland, said: “Huge congratulations to all of the shortlisted authors, category winners and to Kathleen Jamie on winning the 2016 Saltire Book of the Year. A visionary and moving response to a year charged with energy, passion and politics.  It was a great pleasure to be part of the judging panel for the 2016 Saltire Society Literary Awards and to read through this impressively diverse list of books. Awards such as this are important as they offer an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding quality and range of literature in Scotland and raise the national and international profile of talented authors.”