Presentations from key speakers & workshops
Opening Plenary
Robert Nicol, Chief Officer, Environment and Economy, COSLA
Workshop Sessions
Background reading materials and resources
Unlocking the Potential: Governance, Finance & Connection
Urban based governance to secure low carbon development and economic opportunities
The IPCC Cities and Climate Change Science Conference aimed to assess the state of academic and practice-based knowledge related to cities and climate change, and to establish a global research agenda based on the joint identification of key gaps by the academic, practitioner and urban policy-making communities.
- Cities & Climate Change Science Conference, Edmonton, Canada, March 2018
- Global Research and Action Agenda on Cities and Climate Change Science: A report from the IPCC Co-Sponsored Cities and Climate Change Science conference.
- Prof Andy Gouldson speaking on Solutions for the Transition to Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Cities
Accelerating Green Finance
The UK Government asked leading finance expert and former Mayor of London Sir Roger Gifford to chair an independent taskforce to accelerate growth of green finance and the UK’s low carbon economy. The Green Finance Taskforce report sets out a series of recommendations on how the government and the private sector can work together to make green finance an integral part of our financial services. These include:
- boosting investment into innovative clean technologies
- driving demand and supply for green lending products
- setting up Clean Growth Regeneration Zones
- improving climate risk management with advanced data
- building a green and resilient infrastructure pipeline
- issuing a sovereign green bond
Read the independent report from the Green Finance Taskforce here (March 2018).
Realising rewarding partnerships
The Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) in Dundee (August 2018)
Dundee City Council signed the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in March 2018, committing Dundee to develop a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), to reduce the city’s CO2 emissions by at least 40% by 2030. The Covenant of Mayors is the world's largest movement for local climate and energy actions.
- Read the article on our website: Dundee 2030 – Envisioning a Low Carbon Future
Adaptation: A report from Climate Ready Clyde (November 2018)
Climate Ready Clyde is a cross sector initiative to create a shared vision, strategy and action plan for an adapting Glasgow City Region. Climate Ready Clyde brings partners together to work strategically to minimise climate risks and seize the opportunities this brings for economy, society and environment. Its funders are: East Dunbartonshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council, North Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Government, SEPA, SGN, SPT, Transport Scotland, University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde and West Dunbartonshire Council. It is managed and delivered by sustainability charity, Sniffer.
Community Planning: An update; Impact report, prepared by Audit Scotland (August 2018)
This report summarises the impact made by the joint Accounts Commission and Auditor General for Scotland performance audit Community planning: an update, published in March 2016. Community planning is the process by which councils and other public bodies work with local communities, businesses and voluntary groups to plan and deliver better services and improve the lives of people who live in Scotland.
Natural Capital Report for Stirling City Council Report prepared for Stirling Council, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital (April 2018)
With news that Stirling would be awarded a City Region Deal, Stirling City Council approached the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital to ask for help in bringing to light the normally hidden financial returns which come from investing in green infrastructure. The report is an analysis of two proposals outlined in the Stirling City Deal Masterplan: a river project aiming to put the river back at the heart of Stirling life, and a new city park.
Energy Efficient Scotland – Phase 1 pilots evaluation final report (November 2018)
Authors: Dr Ruth Bush, University of Edinburgh; Professor David McCrone, University of Edinburgh; Professor Jan Webb, University of Edinburgh; James Wakelin, Energy Saving Trust; Leyla Usmani, Energy Saving Trust; Debbie Sagar, Scottish Government
The University of Edinburgh was appointed to carry out an independent evaluation of the LHEES pilots. This evaluation drew lessons from across the 12 pilots, to inform Scottish Government future policy plans in relation to LHEES, as well as to share lessons between local authorities to support their future work. The evaluation focuses on the following aspects of the LHEES pilots:
- The scope and content of the developed LHEES
- The activities and processes involved in developing the pilot LHEES
- The skills and resources involved in developing the pilot LHEES
- The perceptions of the strategy, both internally and externally to the local authority.