Funding for international projects ahead of COP26
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stressed Scotland’s commitment to making sure people across the world benefit from a just transition to net zero.
Speaking yesterday at the Austrian World Summit on a panel including climate activist Greta Thunberg and UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall, the First Minister said that the world must seize its chance to tackle the climate crisis fairly at COP26 in Glasgow.
Building on the role of Scotland’s Climate Assembly in domestic policy-making, £100,000 of funding is being made available to support the Global Climate Assembly, an initiative which will bring together 100 participants from the global north and south to learn from each other, and to make recommendations which will feed into COP26 discussions.
Further funding of £190,000 is also being made available to support a fourth year of the Malawi Climate Youth Leaders Project, in recognition of the inter-generational impacts of climate change.
The First Minister said: “The climate crisis – with its inter-related threats of climate change, nature loss and pollution – remains the single biggest challenge the world faces. COP26 represents the world’s best chance – and possibly one of our last chances – to limit global warming to 1.5°.
“One of the great injustices of the climate crisis is that the people and countries who are worst affected are usually those who have done least to cause it.
“At Glasgow, their needs must be recognised, and their voices must be heard. The Scottish Government is determined to help with that process.
“All of us – and governments in particular – now need to summon that same sense of urgency in tackling the climate crisis. If we do, COP26 can become a global turning point – one which ensures that as we recover from the pandemic, we create a greener and fairer world.”
Further details about the summit and participants can be found on its website.
While the First Minister may have enjoyed her appearance on the world stage yesterday, it’s back to urgent domestic matters today.
A record 4234 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Scotland yesterday and national clinical director Prof Jason Leitch has admitted that the huge increase in Covid-19 cases is putting considerable strain on Scotland’s contact tracing system.
Public Health Scotland figures suggest it is now taking longer to contact infectious people and to track down their close contacts, leading to wider spread.
Ms Sturgeon will face the press when she holds a media briefing at lunchtime today.