Funding to deliver key recommendation of Scotland’s Climate Assembly
The Scottish Government is to help fund a new national network of community sharing libraries and repair cafes as part of a drive to reduce consumption and cut waste.
Under the £310,000 reuse and repair scheme, funded jointly with Zero Waste Scotland, more resource libraries will be established across Scotland – a key recommendation of Scotland’s Climate Assembly.
The facilities allow people to borrow items such as high quality tools, equipment, clothes and toys rather than buying them.
The scheme – overseen by the Circular Communities Scotland charity in collaboration with Edinburgh Tool Library and Edinburgh Remakery – will also see more repair cafes set up to teach people the skills to repair items.
A report by Social Investment Scotland on behalf of Zero Waste Scotland in 2020 identified 24 repair cafes and sharing library projects in Scotland and the intention is to increase this to 100 in the next three years.
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Michael Matheson said: “Scotland’s Climate Assembly called for action and I’m very pleased that we will support a network of resource libraries and repair cafes.
“Sharing libraries provide a direct reduction in consumption, waste and emissions because they allow people to switch from purchasing and owning items to borrowing them instead. Repair cafes give people the skills to re-use their own items.
“This network also supports our drive to tackle poverty by giving lower income groups access to tools or equipment not otherwise available and the skills to use them.”
Chief Executive Officer of Zero Waste Scotland Iain Gulland, said: “Scotland – and the world – urgently needs to address its consumption problem. The current demand on the planet’s finite, precious materials is unsustainable.
“The circular economy is one of the best tools we have in our arsenal. We can reduce our consumption by keeping existing materials in circulation and only buying new when absolutely necessary.
“Sharing libraries and repair cafes are not only great ways of implementing a more circular way of living, but an opportunity to get to know people and businesses doing amazing work in your community. We hope to see as many of these local initiatives come to fruition as soon as possible.”
Michael Cook, CEO, Circular Communities Scotland said: “For Scotland to combat climate change, we each need to change our own consumption behaviours. Sharing libraries and repair cafés provide simple and effective solutions to do this whilst reducing our carbon footprint.
“Rather than throwing an old item away we can repair it at a repair cafe, or even better, be taught the repair skills to fix it ourselves. Similarly, rather than buy a new product we can borrow one from a local sharing library. We are delighted to receive this funding to form the new network and significantly grow the number of these projects in Scotland.”
Members of Britain’s only youth community rail partnership were given a taste of revolutionary greener travel as they rode a hydrogen-fuelled train to and from Glasgow at COP26.
Young people involved with the 6VT Community Rail Partnership, based in Edinburgh, joined Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, aboard HydroFLEX, created by rail leasing firm Porterbrook and the University of Birmingham.
As Britain’s first mainline-approved hydrogen-train, HydroFLEX has been on display during the climate summit as part of the UK government’s plans to decarbonise rail travel by 2050.
While on board, 6VT members enjoyed a demonstration as to how the hydrogen technology works and took part in discussions around the importance of developing sustainable travel to combat the climate emergency.
They also had the opportunity to experience a train-driving simulator at the Rail Delivery Group’s green and sustainable-themed stand at Glasgow Central Station.
Last month, the partnership, who are members of Community Rail Network and part of the growing community rail movement across Britain, marked the first-ever ‘Community Rail Week’ by taking a journey from Edinburgh to Glasgow. During their trip, members pledged to ‘Go Green by Train,’ writing letters to themselves containing personal changes they could make to become more environmentally friendly.
6VT member Daisy Fiennes said: “Going on the HydroFLEX train was a great experience.
“It’s incredible how like an ordinary train it is, yet so different. It’s amazing how people are working so hard to solve the climate crisis, and it’s so important that we do solve it, because there isn’t a planet B.”
Fiona Horne, operations manager at the 6VT Youth Café, where the community rail partnership is based, added: “6VT Youth CRP were delighted and privileged to be invited to experience a journey on the groundbreaking HydroFLEX train.
“Our young people got to hear and see first-hand how the train works. As passengers of the future, their hope is that this method of green travel will be part of the way forward.”
Transport has a huge role to play if the UK is to reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 100% of 1990 levels, or ‘net zero’, by 2050. It is now the largest emitting sector in the UK, making up 27% of domestic emissions in 2019.
Rail is already acknowledged as one of the greenest ways to travel, producing just 1% of transport emissions, and is getting greener all the time.
The £8million HydroFLEX project allows new hydrogen fuel systems to be installed on upcycled trains, providing a clean and renewable energy source. The train, which also welcomed Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during COP26, is a tri-mode that can also run on electricity and battery power, all sources identified as having a role to play in decarbonising rail traction.
Alongside her Community Rail Network role, Ms Townsend was at COP26 as the chair of the Sustainable Transport Alliance, a group that brings together the UK’s leading sustainable transport organisations.
The alliance’s ‘People make transport: communities enabling greener travel’ event highlighted the importance of drawing on community actions and voices, including those of young people, to place walking and cycling, public, community, and shared transport at the heart of climate ambitions.
She said: “It was fantastic to join members of 6VT aboard HydroFLEX, and to be able to talk to them about sustainable transport and the vital importance of green travel at a local and global level.
“COP26 has underlined how we must put people, communities, and justice at the forefront in tackling the climate crisis, and this very much applies to transport.
“Rail, combined with buses, walking, cycling, and shared mobility, provides a huge part of the solution: shifting as many journeys as we can onto these modes, and reducing private car use, can help us forge a more sustainable, healthy, inclusive future, which is particularly important for our younger generations.”
Scotland has committed to honour the rights of children in the fight against the climate crisis, by signing the UNICEF declaration on children, youth and climate action.
The declaration, which was drafted by children and young people, calls on signatories to uphold the priorities of children and youth throughout the world in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Signatories commit to advocating for children’s inalienable right to a healthy environment and to enhancing the meaningful participation of children and young people in climate change discussion and action.
Scotland recently hosted the UN Conference of Youth ahead of COP26 and has invested almost £1 million in a programme to engage young people in the climate conference and legacy activity.
The First Minister formally signed the declaration during COP26, and the launch event is being attended by the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Green Skills Lorna Slater. Scotland becomes the 28th country to have signed up so far.
The First Minister said: “Children and young people are driving climate action and it is vital that we listen to their views and harness their passion at COP26 and beyond.
“The global climate crisis is a children’s rights crisis. So we must make sure that the rights of children and young people are promoted and protected as we tackle it. To do this, we have to give young people a place at the table and a role in decision-making, so they have a real voice in how we respond to a threat that will shape their lives.
“I am proud that Scotland is joining nations across the world in signing this declaration, and committing to listening to and respecting the needs and wishes of young people as we work to deliver the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
“Signing the Intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action is an important step all governments can take to formally recognise a child’s right to a healthy environment.
“Here in Scotland we are determined to deliver the highest protection possible for children’s rights, which is why we remain committed to becoming the first devolved nation in the world to directly incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into domestic law, to the maximum extent possible.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie last night thanked the people of Glasgow for enabling Police Scotland to deliver a safe and secure COP26.
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “Today we continued to support the visit of puppet Little Amal to Glasgow, and facilitated a number of protests.
“I hope this spirit continues right through the conference closure as, over the past few weeks, we have sought to provide a proportionate policing response to any potential protests, balancing the needs and rights of those wishing to demonstrate or protest against the needs of the wider community.
“The wider community really means the people of Glasgow whose patience and understanding, while managing significant disruption to their daily routines, have been a key part of enabling us to deliver a safe and secure global event.
“So I would like to thank them for being so welcoming to our visitors and for being so accommodating of the large police presence and security measures – the people of the city have made this such a positive experience for those of us who have been working day and night, some of us away from home and families, on what is the largest policing operation seen in the UK for many years.
“Our stated commitment was always that the people and communities of Scotland would still receive the same high standard of service that they are accustomed to for the duration of the conference. With this in mind, we established dedicated local policing teams to ensure that local areas had the resources they require to address local community concerns throughout COP26.
“It is important to us that we understand what the experience of COP26 has been for people in Glasgow and Scotland. For this reason, we want to hear from those who have attended or experienced our policing of these events in Scotland recently.
COP26:First Minister calls on leaders to step up and secure successful outcome
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that the Scottish Government will increase its fund for climate justice by a further 50% on top of the previous commitment to double the fund as part of Scotland’s response and contribution to the ongoing negotiations at COP26.
Calling on larger countries with more resources to recognise their moral responsibility and adopt a “can-do” attitude for the final days of COP26 to secure a successful outcome, the First Minister said: “It is clear that fair climate finance is the key to making real progress at COP26.
“Every vulnerable or developing country I have spoken with has big ambitions for meeting the climate crisis but they do not have the funding for adaptation, for mitigation, or for tackling the loss and damage that is needed to deliver.
“Twelve years on from the commitment by developed nations to provide funding of 100 billion dollars a year, that is simply not good enough.
“It is time for leaders of developed countries, large and small, to do what is needed to bridge the remaining gap, and put on the table now the money that is needed to make good on past commitments and unlock progress in other areas.
“Scotland is a relatively small country of just five million people, and we do not have substantial powers of borrowing. That means our contribution will always be relatively small in a global context. However, we can still lead by example and there has never been a more vital time to do so.
“All of my conversations with delegates from the global south over these two weeks – and the obvious need to increase the overall ambition of the draft cover text published yesterday – have convinced me that rich countries must do more on finance in the final hours of COP if we are to secure the best possible outcome. That is not charity, it is our obligation.
“Accordingly, the Scottish Government – having already committed to doubling our climate justice fund to £24 million in this Parliament – has now decided to increase it by a further £12 million. That means since the fund opened in 2012, we will have trebled Scotland’s contribution to Climate Justice.
“This increased funding will also build on our ground breaking contribution to loss and damage, by doubling our contribution to addressing loss and damage to £2 million.
“My message today is simple. If Scotland can up its contribution, there is no good reason why the larger, developed countries around the negotiating table cannot do so too.
“I call on all leaders to step up and secure the outcome from this Glasgow COP that our planet needs.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a press conference at COP26 yesterday:
Before heading back to London last week, I warned of the need to guard against false optimism and to not allow ourselves to think that the progress we need would be easy.
And today, having spoken with the Secretary-General, and having met negotiating teams, heads of delegations and others here at COP, it’s clear that after the surge of really positive, game-changing announcements last week on methane, on finance, on forests in particular, we are now firmly in the hard yards, the nuts and bolts of international climate diplomacy.
And the negotiations are getting tough.
And with just a few days remaining, there is still a huge amount to do.
We’ve made a difference, we hope, for our planet and our people.
We’ve moved the ball a long way down the pitch.
But now we’re stuck in a bit of a rolling maul to mix my football and rugby metaphors.
The line is in sight, but if we’re going to get there, we need a determined push to get us there.
We need to be more ambitious with better, more credible plans for implementation.
We have to bridge the gap between where we are and where we need to be if we’re going to cut emissions in half by 2030.
And we need to pull out all the stops if we’re going to do what we came here to do and that’s keep 1.5 alive and make Paris the success the world needs it to be.
Because while that 2016 agreement was a significant moment in the fight against climate change, it was ultimately a pledge of action still to come.
And it is very frustrating to see countries that have spent six years conspicuously patting themselves on the back for signing that promissory note in Paris quietly edging towards default now that vulnerable nations and future generations are demanding payment here in Glasgow.
And there really is no excuse because we know what is at stake here. We’ve been hearing it all week.
We heard it from the President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr, who told me he spent five days travelling seven and a half thousand miles across nine time zones to make sure the voice of his people was heard.
The least we can do is pay attention when he says that if the big economies don’t do more we “might as well bomb” his islands.
We heard it from Simon Kofe, from the government of Tuvalu, who spoke to us not from a podium in a cosy conference room but knee-deep in a steadily rising Pacific Ocean.
And we heard it from Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados who so moved the opening ceremony when she warned that we are digging our own graves and asked when are the leaders finally going to lead.
And if you stood and applauded her, then you cannot now sit on your hands as the world asks you to act.
Because the world knows the mess our planet is in. The world has heard leaders from every country, every continent stand here and acknowledge the need for action. And the world will find it absolutely incomprehensible if we fail to deliver that.
The backlash from our people will be immense and it will be long-lasting. And frankly, we will deserve their criticism and opprobrium.
Because we know what needs to be done. We agree on what needs to be done. We just need the courage to get on and do it.
So this is the time for everyone to come together and show the determination needed to power on through the blockages.
To look at the science with dispassionate eyes and think about how we can compromise, how we can be flexible to meet the needs of the planet.
And for world leaders who are back in their capitals to pick up the phone to their teams here and give them the negotiating margin, give them the space they need in which to manoeuvre so we can get this done.
Here in Glasgow, the world is closer than it has ever been to signalling the beginning of the end of anthropogenic climate change.
It’s the greatest gift we can possibly bestow on our children and grandchildren and generations unborn.
It’s now within reach, at COP26 in these final days, we just need to reach out together and grasp it.
And so my question for my fellow world leaders this afternoon as we enter the last hours of COP is will you help us do that? Will you help us grasp that opportunity or will you stand in the way?
FIRST MINISTER Nicola Sturgeon has clearly enjoyed rubbing shoulders with world leaders on the international stage during COP26.
It’s quite possible there may be some new global ambasadorial role when she decides it’s time to move on, but in the meantime Ms Sturgeon is urging world leaders to go further.
Responding to the publication of the first draft agreement at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The draft cover text is a start, but it must be the floor – not the ceiling. The imperative for leaders now – on climate finance and the pathway to 1.5 degrees – is to negotiate the ambition significantly upwards.
“It must not be watered down. It is vital that the world emerges from COP 26 with 1.5 degrees well and truly alive, and closing the finance gap is key to that. It is also a moral obligation developed countries owe to those less developed and most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
“I welcome the Prime Minister’s return to Glasgow today, and urge him to stay for as long as necessary until a deal is done. As has been the case all along, I will do everything I can to assist and support these efforts.
“This is a moment that future generations will judge. Either we will be judged to have failed in the face of climate catastrophe or, alternatively, to have taken a decisive step towards sustainability for our planet.
“It must be the latter. In the words of a Marshall Islands minister I met yesterday – “for countries like mine, we don’t have many COPs left – the time to act is now.””
Children in Corstorphine have become urban designers to help create safer, more welcoming streets in their local neighbourhood.
As COP26 takes hold of Scotland, pupils from Carrick Knowe and Corstorphine Primary Schools have been sharing ideas to help people make healthy, low carbon journeys by walking, wheeling or cycling, as well as improving the environment, in their own corner of the country.
The city council is engaging with the community as part of Corstorphine Connections, a project to introduce a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN), and are asking residents to share their views on proposals to improve the look and feel of the area.
The design proposals have been developed after receiving initial feedback from residents, including these designs for school streets by local children. Amongst their ideas are more trees, grass and flowers, spotty patterned roads and paw prints along the street to signpost safe routes.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We owe it to future generations to create a city that is healthy, sustainable and safe to move around by foot, wheel or bike. So it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to involve our youngest citizens in the development of Edinburgh’s first LTN – they’ve got some great ideas.
“We’ve seen from neighbourhoods around the world how LTNs can have a really positive impact on travel habits and quieter, more pleasant streets for residents and businesses, so I really look forward to delivering these benefits in Edinburgh.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, added: “We really want to bring the Corstorphine community with us as we develop this LTN, and we’ve already been listening to ideas and concerns as we move through the process.
“These designs demonstrate the impact the layout of our streets can have an all members of society, young and old, so it’s been really helpful to hear what local school pupils think.”
Dan Jeffs, Senior Urban Designer at Sustrans Scotland, said: “Sustrans has been working closely with Corstorphine Primary School and Carrick Knowe Primary School to identify placemaking measures for spaces immediately outside their schools and within the wider area.
“These measures will help create safer, more enjoyable and attractive streets and spaces for children and local residents, as well as encourage and promote walking, wheeling and cycling in the area.
“People are being invited to have their say on placemaking ideas for Corstorphine, such as hanging baskets and ‘pencil bollards’ to protect children outside the school on Corstorphine High Street and new seating and colourful road surfaces to prioritise pedestrians on Saughton Road North.
“Two options for a ‘pocket park’ on Featherhall Avenue have also been put forward for feedback.”
Plans to start the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process to introduce an LTN on a trial basis in Corstorphine were approved by Transport and Environment Committee in August, following engagement with the community on key issues and, subsequently, concept designs.
The LTN aims to create a safer environment, providing more opportunities for residents to walk, wheel, cycle and spend time in by reducing vehicle volume and speed.
In Corstorphine, residents have previously told the council about concerns around the level and speed of traffic there, which is backed up by CEC’s own monitoring.
By implementing an LTN the council hopes to create a calmer, more relaxed environment for travel by foot, wheel or bike. It is planning to introduce the LTN on a trial basis, using an ETRO, in early spring 2022.
LTNs form part of the City Mobility Plan, Edinburgh’s ten-year transport strategy envisioning a better-connected, safer and more inclusive net zero carbon transport system. The council is also working towards the introduction of an LTN in Leith next summer.
Find out more about Corstorphine Connections online and share your views on placemaking designs on the Council’s consultation hub before 14 November.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call on ministers and negotiators to come together and bridge the gaps remaining to reach consensus at COP26, as he travels to Glasgow in the final days of the climate summit today (Wednesday 10 November).
The COP26 Glasgow visit will come as welcome diversion for Mr Johnson, who has been heavily criticised for his handling of Tory Party sleaze and corruption allegations over the last week.
Negotiators from 197 parties are in intensive talks to reach agreement on a range of key issues, including a common time frame for national commitments on emissions reductions and agreed methodology for countries to report on their climate action. These important technical points will help to ensure that commitments are translated into action.
They are also working to agree progress on finance for nations most vulnerable to climate change and to address the issue of loss and damage in developing countries.
The negotiations run alongside a series of government and private sector commitments on coal, cars, cash and trees made by throughout the two weeks of COP26 under the UK’s presidency, with the goal of keeping the 1.5C target alive.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Negotiating teams are doing the hard yards in these final days of COP26 to turn promises into action on climate change.
“There’s still much to do. Today I’ll be meeting with ministers and negotiators to hear about where progress has been made and where the gaps must be bridged.
“This is bigger than any one country and it is time for nations to put aside differences and come together for our planet and our people.
“We need to pull out all the stops if we’re going to keep 1.5C within our grasp.”
The Prime Minister will be joined by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Glasgow and will meet with representatives from the heads of delegations’ negotiating teams and the observer groups, which represent a cross-section of civil society.
Fourteen international leaders and leading campaigners are among those who have signed a statement launched by the Scottish Government calling for the role of women and girls to be advanced in addressing climate change.
The Glasgow Women’s Leadership Statement on gender equality and climate change acknowledges the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls. It also celebrates the role of women leaders at all levels in addressing the climate crisis, and commits signatories to increased support for women and girls’ climate action.
Women leaders including New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, US national climate adviser Gina McCarthy and German federal environment minister Svenja Schulze have signed the statement. Heads of state and government from Bangladesh, Tanzania, Estonia and Iceland, ministers from Belgium and Pakistan, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, and civil society leaders have also signed.
On Gender Day at COP26, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced further action on tackling the gendered impacts of climate change.
Chairing a panel discussion on women and climate, the First Minister said the Scottish Government will become a Commitment Maker as part of the Feminist Action for Climate Justice global coalition.
The commitment includes:
enabling women and girls to lead a just transition to a green economy
increasing direct access to financing for climate solutions that promote gender equality
building the resilience of women and girls to climate impacts, disaster risks, loss and damage
The First Minister said: “The fantastic response from women leaders since I launched the Glasgow Women’s Leadership Statement last week tells me that there is a huge appetite to centre women and girls in our climate action.I would urge other leaders to sign up so we can enable more women and girls to lead on the solutions we need to address climate impacts and promote gender equality.
“The engagements I have had with women young and old from the global south have made clear how important it is that when we think about climate justice, we also think about equality and how our actions can support women and girls.
“I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government will become a Commitment Maker under the Feminist Action for Climate Justice coalition. This is a commitment to bold and transformative action to improve the lives of girls and women, recognising that their empowerment and leadership is essential to ensuring that global efforts to tackle climate change succeed.
“Tackling the climate crisis and delivering a just transition to net zero must go hand in hand – and women and girls must be central to that. The Scottish Government’s just transition plans will amplify the voices of under-represented groups, including women and girls, and actively work to create a better, greener future for everyone.”
Green jobs and more investment to create clean energy are what’s needed to deliver Net Zero for Scotland by 2045. That’s the message Scottish secondary school pupils have given to energy industry leaders at an official COP26 event – hosted by ScottishPower Renewables – in the climate conference’s Green Zone at Glasgow Science Centre.
‘Let’s Talk Energy’ saw 80 young people from 10 secondary schools, including Edinburgh Academy, come together to create their own Net Zero Energy Policy for Scotland – setting out the changes the country needs to make to achieve the Scottish Government’s target of Net Zero by 2045.
Their top three priorities were:
· Supporting skills development, including training options for young people in the renewables industry, to deliver green jobs and a positive long-term future
· Investment to increase the amount of clean, green energy available from the likes of wind and solar power and battery storage
· Improving processes to make renewable energy available faster than ever before and making it easier to switch to a low-carbon lifestyle.
Making it simpler to switch to greener forms of transport – whether electric vehicles you can charge at home or electrifying trains and buses – and providing funding to help communities make the transition to Net Zero also scored highly.
Lindsay McQuade, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, said:“Young people’s voices are being heard loud and clear at COP26 and it was inspiring and encouraging to hear their views on what we have to do now if we’re going to achieve Net Zero by 2045.
“They recognise fully that we need do more, and do it faster, if we’re going to address the climate emergency and they got straight to the point.
“As they set out, Scotland has enormous potential, but we will only achieve Net Zero with the right investment, skills development and processes in place. They have a bold vision for a cleaner and greener country, and it’s a vision that can become a reality if we all take climate action now.”
ScottishPower is the UK’s only integrated energy company and generates 100% green electricity from offshore and onshore wind.
It is developing an energy model that will help the UK reach world-leading climate change targets and is investing £10billion in the UK over five years – £6 million every working day – to double its renewable generation capacity and drive forward decarbonisation to support net zero emissions.
It is also a Principal Partner for COP26 and leads on the youth theme for the climate change conference.
Kate Turner, ScottishPower Renewables’ Director of Policy & Regulation, added: “We’re very proud to support young people from across the country in making their voices heard at this crucial climate change conference, and see such considered and thoughtful feedback.
“This is a great opportunity for the youth of today to influence the policies of tomorrow and play a vital role in shaping the legacy of COP26. I have no doubt their efforts can help ensure we all enjoy a cleaner, greener and better future, quicker – and we will do all we can to make that happen.”
‘Let’s Talk Energy’ is part of a long-term educational partnership between ScottishPower Renewables and Glasgow Science Centre.
The two organisations developed the joint COP26 programme to help children and young people engage with the United Nations Climate Change Conference. It was specially selected by the UK Cabinet Office to take place in the Green Zone.
Glasgow Science Centre helped the young people aged 11-14 research renewable energy policy ahead of the event through home and classroom learning. The pupils explored how renewable technologies such as onshore wind, offshore wind, solar power and green hydrogen could be used to achieve Net Zero.
Schools taking part in the event were: Earlston High School, Edinburgh Academy, Govan High, Hutchesons’ Grammar, Mearns Castle, Renfrew High, Strathaven Academy, St Aloysius, Turnbull High School and Woodfarm.
As part of its COP26 education programme, ScottishPower Renewables is also working with Glasgow Science Centre on a Renewables Challenge for 124 primary schools across Scotland. The four-week education programme will help P5-P7 pupils from learn about COP26, renewable energy, green jobs and going carbon neutral.
Science and Innovation Day at COP26 will see the announcement of new initiatives backed by global coalitions of nations, businesses and scientists. These will support the implementation of the goals announced during the World Leaders Summit and other country commitments announced during the first week of the conference.
Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance will underline the critical role of science and innovation in enabling every country to access the tools it needs to immediately reduce emissions in line with Paris temperature targets, and to adapt to the effects of climate change that we are already seeing.
These initiatives include:
new commitments to accelerate innovation and low carbon transitions in industry and cities
new global Adaptation Research Alliance to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities on the frontline of climate change
independent experts to track progress against the Breakthrough Agenda announced by world leaders on 2 November, advising on action and collaboration
global scientific research community to produce annual climate risk assessment to ensure the dangers are fully understood by world leaders
Mission Innovation, a coalition of 23 governments (covering 95% of global public investment in clean technology, research and development) will announce 4 new ‘innovation missions’ in which countries will work together to accelerate the development of clean technologies for cities, industry, carbon dioxide removal, and the production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials.
Mission Innovation’s ‘innovation missions’ now cover sectors responsible for more than 50% of global emissions.
The Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) – a global first – launches today. This network of over 90 organisations across 30 economies will see governments, research institutions and communities collaborate to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities on the frontline of climate change.
A new landmark programme putting the ARA’s work into practice is the Climate Adaptation and Resilience research programme (CLARE), jointly funded by the UK and Canada.
Today the UK announces a further £48 million towards CLARE, bringing the total UK aid funding to £100 million, alongside £10 million from Canada to support the development of actionable solutions in communities most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events. £40 million of the UK’s contribution will be focused on Africa, and in total the programme is set to benefit at least 5 million people around the world.
To support implementation of the Breakthrough Agenda announced by World Leaders on 2 November, a new ‘Global Checkpoint Process’ will seek to sustain and strengthen international cooperation in each of the emitting sectors.
Independent experts led by the International Energy Agency (IEA), together with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the UN High Level Climate Action Champions will produce an annual report to track progress and advise on action. Informed by this advice, countries will discuss how they can work together to make faster progress.
A group of leading international scientific organisations will make a new commitment to improve the way we assess and communicate climate risk to inform the decisions of world leaders.
The coalition, including, amongst others, the World Meteorological Organisation and the World Climate Research Programme, will work to ensure that research and reports for policymakers set out clearly for world leaders the full scale of the dangers we will face if global temperature increase is not held below 1.5 degrees.
Other announcements on Science and Innovation Day include:
Under the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) the UK, India, Germany, Canada and UAE will work together to create new markets for low carbon steel and concrete. The IDDI launched today a campaign where member governments, including the UK, commit to the disclosure of embodied carbon of major public construction by no later than 2025, they also pledged to achieve net zero in major public construction steel and concrete by 2050, and to work towards an emission reduction for 2030 to be announced next year.
Building on the success of the Futures We Want collaboration, the UK COP26 Presidency, in partnership with Italy, is establishing a new global partnership to leverage the power of science and innovation to address key challenges blocking the path to a climate-resilient, net-zero future.
This new partnership will bring together countries from across the world to pool scientific expertise and develop new ways to bring citizen voices into policy making, by running a series of region-led projects to tackle specific net-zero challenges.
47 countries (including Malawi, Spain, Morocco and the US) have committed to building health systems which are able to withstand the impacts of climate change and which are low carbon and sustainable. These include 42 countries, representing over a third of global health care emissions, which have committed to develop a sustainable, low-carbon health system. 12 of these 42 countries have set a deadline of 2050 or earlier, by which their health system will reach Net Zero.
Patrick Vallance UK Chief Scientific Adviser said: “The facts are clear: we must limit warming to 1.5C. Thanks to science, that is feasible – the technologies are already available.
Investment in research and development will deliver new clean technologies, while policies to create markets will ensure they are deployed. At the same time, science will help us adapt to the impacts of climate change we’re already seeing around the world and transform our economies.
“Through research and innovation, we will adjust essential systems and ensure continued safety, security and prosperity.”
Patrick Child, Chair of Mission Innovation and Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation at European Commission said: “Clean energy solutions must be cost-effective at scale and available everywhere if we are going to reach net zero.
“We must invest in innovation now to scale up these vital technologies and avoid a climate disaster. International collaboration sits at the heart of this, and Mission Innovation provides a vital platform for world governments to drive action and investment in the technologies which will save our planet.
Jesse De Maria Kinney, Head of Secretariat for Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) said: “Climate adaptation requires evidence-based solutions that are tailored to local contexts.
“The formal launch of the ARA highlights a growing global movement supporting this approach among funders, researchers, policymakers and communities and our collective commitment to driving a paradigm shift in the adaptation community where solutions are co-produced, action oriented and lead to positive changes in people’s lives.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, COP26 Champion on Adaptation and Resilience said: “Action-focused research is crucial to effective, inclusive and sustainable climate adaptation, particularly to protect the most vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change.
“We will ensure women’s voices shape these conversations, and women’s leadership and expertise are championed to deliver gender-sensitive adaptation solutions. Both the Adaptation Research Alliance and the UK’s support for the Climate Adaptation and Resilience research programme will improve the effectiveness of adaptation, putting people at the heart of climate research to build the resilience of those living on the frontline of the climate crisis.”
Science Minister George Freeman, Science Minister said: “Real change to combat climate change cannot happen without new scientific ideas, innovation and research, and it is clear that no country or company acting in isolation can deliver the change that is needed at the pace that is needed.
“As an innovation nation, we want to lead the global effort to have every country, organisation and business contribute to this agenda by encouraging new ideas and products. That is why, for example, we have launched new commitments to enhance international innovation cooperation and ensure we meet our climate goals.
“The scale of the challenge we face is daunting, but there is room for optimism, and I look forward to working together to unleash a new wave of innovation to build a cleaner, better, and more prosperous world.”
