Our CEO Barry Fisher highlights the need to be honest about the scale of the cost, challenge and impacts facing us if we are to combat climate change, but also the real opportunities ahead for collaborating, empowering people and creating a just transition that is actually better than what we know today.
The floods and devastation caused by Storm Brett, remind us of how much our climate is changing, and why we all need to engage and think positively about the future.
Once upon a time in a country far, far away, politicians, scientists and world leaders from across the globe met to discuss climate change: to argue, negotiate, and reach compromises.
Meanwhile, a little closer to home in classrooms across Scotland, our amazing Education Team have been delivering engaging lessons and inspiring our children and young people to lead more climate friendly lives and make choices to support nature and our environment.
The UN Climate Change Conference, COP29, has come to a disappointing end in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the world’s leaders failing to make the difficult decisions about climate change and how we limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and help vulnerable communities adapt.
But, against this disappointing backdrop our people have been busy doing what they do best, helping people understand the challenges ahead, and the benefits of taking action now that supports our communities, nature and climate.
Members of #TeamKSB have been beaming into classrooms using digital technology, and visiting in person to work with children, young people and educators to inspire action to combat climate change.
While COP29 was ongoing, our Gaelic Education Officer visited primary schools in the Western Isles, Striling, East Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk and reached a whole lot more as we hosted an online assembly ‘COP29 with Keep Scotland Beautiful’ with e-sgoil which generated fantastic feedback.
"The session was very enjoyable, and the pupils learned a lot about climate change and global warming" - Katy Graham, Sgoil nan Loch
"The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the session and are keen to move forward with their action plans through the Eco Committee" - Eileen Mackenzie - Sgoil Bhreascleit
And while COP29 was ongoing, we also delivered Climate Emergency Training to employees of Graham and Scottish Power and wrapped up our final session of our quarterly Autumn open course. Through the Our Heritage, Our Future programme we also continued to build on the work we are doing with people to develop Community Heritage Climate Action Plans.
We want Scotland to be a net zero nation and know that we need to take climate action for ourselves and our planet now.
We hear people’s fears and hopes about our climate daily from those we work with, from delegates attending our Climate Emergency Training, to the educators and young people involved in our Climate Ready Classrooms programme, to others we talk to in communities across the country.
With more than 60% of the changes needed to combat climate change requiring some element of individual behaviour, our sessions with children, young people and educators in schools and our Climate Emergency Training for individuals are invaluable.
We firmly believe in giving people information to make their own decisions and choices so that relevant and reasonably practicable action is taken. We recognise that people, of all ages, are motivated to change habits when they see a direct personal benefit – such as increased fitness levels due to walking and cycling more, financial savings as energy consumption is reduced, and community empowerment as people join together to develop solutions that work for them.
Despite the disappointing outcome of COP29 we will continue to do what we do best; reach out to people in their schools, communities and work-places to offer them the opportunity to join us and become Carbon Literate.”
People in Scotland know climate change is happening, and the majority are concerned about it.[1] We also know that those living in Scotland are slightly more personally motivated to act than the rest of the UK – with 45% being highly motivated.
But what is positive is that research from Climate Outreach, which we supported, in 2024 highlighted that 62% of those in Scotland want to either speed up or continue at a similar pace towards net zero.
To move at the pace we believe is now required to limit climate change and temperature rises is going to take a huge amount of positivity – positive stories of what is, and can be done, or what a cleaner greener and more sustainable world could look like if we all take small collaborative actions. We believe that we need more local, emotionally powerful stories that resonate with those we are talking to if we are to shift towards believing that we can all make a difference.
Climate anxiety impacts so many – the problem seems to out of our control, in the hands of politicians and global corporations, but if most of the public care about climate change, if we are honest about the risks and benefits, and if people chose to do something about it – surely all we need to do is embrace the possibility of change and drop the fear associated with it.
Share your stories with us online at #KeepScotlandBeautiful let’s show the world that positive action can inspire positive change. Let’s combat climate change together, one action or one conversation at a time. Let’s be honest about it. The cost – financially and to people, planet and nature - will be worse if we do nothing.
