An update from Scottish Government on this year's Climate Week
Scotland’s annual Climate Week is back and aiming to be bigger and better than ever before. We are encouraging an even wider audience to participate this year and 2019 will be the first time Climate Week runs for a full week: Monday 7th - Sunday 13th October.
There is a global climate emergency and the Scottish Government recognises the need for serious and decisive action. Last week, the Parliament’s Climate Change Committee voted in favour of a net-zero target for 2045 and to increase the targets for 2030 and 2040. These targets are ambitious, credible, and responsible and mean Scotland’s contribution to climate change will end, definitively, within a generation.
Given our increased climate ambition, it seems only right that Climate Week grows as well. The public sector has been celebrating Climate Week for the past three years and for 2019, we are inviting businesses, community groups and the third sector to take part. Climate Week 2019 aims to be a stimulating week of exploration, innovation, and exciting events.
Climate Week 2019 is an opportunity for you and your organisation to showcase what you’re doing to help Scotland reach our new targets. Last year, we saw a range of fantastic initiatives from multiple sectors like higher education, with Napier University offering a free bike maintenance clinic to promote more cycling on and off campus; to NHS involvement through hospitals like Ninewells in Dundee which celebrated Climate Week by hosting companies Home Energy Scotland, Biffa, and Dr. Bike to provide information and advice to visitors and staff.
How can you get involved?
We will be providing organisations with further information over the summer but here are a few event ideas to get you started:
- Host a climate conversation with your colleagues.
- Engage with a local community group (find nearby CCF groups here).
- Make sure the staff in your organisation know about all the amazing work that you’re doing to tackle climate change.
- Encourage staff to walk to work during Climate Week.
As they have for the past three annual Climate Week events, SSN will once again be supporting Scottish Government in hosting and coordinating wide participation in our 2019 Climate Week. We are excited to have them as partners again and encourage public bodies to engage with SSN and help make this year’s Climate Week the best yet!
Please keep an eye on our Twitter feed @Scotgovclimate as well as the usual SSN channels, where we will be sharing the latest Climate Week 2019 news.