The Sustainable Scotland Network is delighted to be supporting Creative Carbon Scotland’s Climate Beacons project. Funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Change and Culture Divisions, Creative Scotland and Museums Galleries Scotland, the project brings together over 30 Scottish environmental, cultural and heritage organisations from across Scotland to inspire public engagement and positive action in the run up to and beyond COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, taking place in Glasgow this November.
On 3 June, Creative Carbon Scotland announced seven successful COP26 Climate Beacons applicants who will form hubs across Argyll, Caithness & East Sutherland, Fife, Inverclyde, Midlothian the Outer Hebrides, and Tayside. The Beacons will bring together shared resources and knowledge from cultural and climate organisations, providing a welcoming physical and virtual space for the public, artists and cultural sector professionals, environmental NGOs, scientists and policymakers to discuss and debate COP26 themes and climate action specific to each local area.
The seven Climate Beacons are:
Argyll, a collaboration between Cove Park residency centre and Argyll and the Isles Coast & Countryside Trust, focusing on Scotland’s temperate rainforests, reforestation, and biodiversity.
Caithness & East Sutherland, a collaboration between Timespan, Lyth Arts Centre and the University of the Highlands and Islands Environmental Research Institute, among others, focusing on climate colonialism, land justice and redistribution as well as the crucial role of the area for peatland restoration.
Fife, the Leven Programme, ONFife and Levenmouth Academy are coming together with others to channel the arts and build on climate action in the area, eager to share stories of the proud industrial heritage and show the world how we can transform to a resilient low carbon community of the future.
Inverclyde, a collaboration between The Beacon arts centre, Belville Community Garden Trust, RIG Arts and Inverclyde Libraries, focusing on the roles of climate change mitigation and adaption as part of Scotland’s most deprived area’s recovery from COVID-19
Midlothian, a collaboration between the National Mining Museum Scotland and the British Geological Survey, will create a transformative journey following the flow of water, from Scotland’s past legacy of fossil fuels towards a future of decarbonisation, connecting local and international cultures through art and science.
Outer Hebrides, a partnership between An Lanntair arts centre, Taigh Chearsabhagh museum and arts centre, Ceòlas, Community Energy Scotland, Western Isles Libraries, TSI Western Isles, NatureScot, Adaptation Scotland and the wider Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership Climate Change Working Group, the Outer Hebrides Climate Beacon will focus on how the islands can adapt to the worsening impacts of climate change while celebrating their unique natural and cultural heritage.
·Tayside, a partnership between Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, the James Hutton Institute, V&A Dundee, Dundee Museum of Transport and other partners in Dundee, Perthshire, Angus and Aberdeen, will use design-led thinking to explore a range of issues across the Tayside bioregion encompassing urban and rural areas as a microcosm of Scotland.
Ben Twist, Director of Creative Carbon Scotland, said: “Tackling climate change requires us to find imaginative solutions to complex problems. Cultural buildings and events can provide an open and welcoming space for these challenging conversations, bringing people together to collectively think, imagine, feel and develop lasting connections that will strengthen future climate action."
For more information on the project, please visit the Creative Carbon Scotland website.