Climate change

Perth and Kinross Climate Action website

Please visit our dedicated climate action website which has been developed as central source of trusted and knowledgeable climate action advice for residents, businesses and visitors. This site will allow you to keep up to date with climate change action across Perth and Kinross and provide a platform to share experience and ideas between groups, encourage others to get involved and celebrate the valuable work being undertaken by communities to tackle climate change.

Key features include guidance on how to take action at home and at work, mapping of climate projects and community groups, funding opportunities, climate related events... and more!

Climate Commission

Member selection is underway to help Steer Perth and Kinross's climate future

The application process is now closed for the Perth and Kinross Climate Change Commission. The application process closed on the 10th of April 2022. The selection process is underway and members will be appointed shortly.

Climate Commissions bring together people and organisations from the public, private and civic sectors who work collaboratively to help drive, guide, support and monitor climate action. The Perth and Kinross Climate Change Commission (PKCCC) will prove independent active leadership and support for cross-sector collaboration and action on climate change. The Commission will play a vital role in promoting a climate resilient future which is also fair and ensures that there is climate justice.

The Commission has the aspiration to be credible, visible, engaging, effective, and relatable. It will be an independent body responsible for:

• Scrutinising the initial roadmap developed by the Council (published December 2021)
• Identifying ideas and good practice that should be promoted.
• Shaping the expansion of and further development of the roadmap through co-production, guidance and feedback.
• Promoting appropriate community engagement on climate change
• Overseeing delivery of the roadmap and its impact through regular monitoring
• Championing climate change and delivery of priority actions across Perth and Kinross
• Using its influence across the public sector, private sector and in our schools and communities to drive the necessary urgent action
• Consider the connections between the climate crisis and other ongoing pressures - including the biodiversity crises, increasing cost of living, fuel poverty, inequalities and health.

The Commission aims to be diverse and inclusive and encourages applicants from a range of backgrounds. Commissioners will be selected to cover a range of expertise and backgrounds. These individuals will be selected by a panel of experts seeking to ensure a diversity of knowledge and experience on the Commission. Acknowledging the disproportionate impact that Climate Change will have on children and young people, a minimum of 25% of the spaces will be reserved for those 25 and under.

Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan

Our final Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan can be viewed on our dedicated Perth & Kinross Climate Action Website.

Background

On the 15th of December 2021 Councillors unanimously backed the Draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, which sets out how Perth and Kinross will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Our Draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan identifies eight thematic areas. Transport, Land Use, Energy & Buildings, Waste, Business & Industry, Resilience, Education and Engagement, and Governance.

The strategy also highlights how we will reduce the impact of climate change on communities and how residents and businesses are vital to creating a sustainable future. The Strategy is guided by the following principles:

1. Achieving Net Zero aligned with the Paris Agreement and Scottish Government targets by 2045, if not before
2. Building a more resilient Perth and Kinross
3. Ensuring climate change action is fair and the transition to a green economy benefits all
4. Enhancing biodiversity
5. Engaging young people and empowering them to take action against climate change
6. Empowering businesses and communities to take climate action in line with the Perth and Kinross Offer

The Strategy will be supported by the creation of a Perth and Kinross Climate Change Commission, which councillors approved earlier this year. This will bring together businesses, community groups, individuals and young people to scrutinise the strategy and support its implementation.

All relevant documents associated with the Draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan can be viewed on the Council's Committee website.

View our Draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (PDF, 2 MB).

Background - Setting out the challenge

The climate emergency

Whilst for some time, there has been almost universal recognition that climate change is one of the biggest risks facing our planet, the urgency of action was brought sharply into focus in 2018 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which stated that we must limit global warming to 1.5°C. Even with a rise of 1.5°C, IPCC reported that there would be risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth. A rise of 2°C would be even more catastrophic.

The IPCC warns that we only have a limited period left (2030) to take the decisive and serious action required to avert this crisis and avoid the worst impacts. In May 2019 the UK Parliament declared a climate change emergency, this was followed by the Climate Change Secretary's statement to the Scottish Parliament on 14 May 2019.

Mitigation and adaptation

Addressing climate change is complex and challenging. Actions centre around two main areas of work:

1. Mitigation- this is what we need to do to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This can be achieved by making our homes, businesses and transport more energy efficient, or switching to carbon neutral energy sources. It can also involve positive actions to enhance our ability to absorb or capture Carbon Dioxide such increasing our woodland cover, or the restoration of peatlands.
2. Adaptation - the actions we need to take to make adjustments to deal with the impacts of climate change. This could be making changes to our buildings, so they keep cool during hotter summers, or are less at risk of being flooded. It could be using scarce water resources more efficiently or making changes to the crops we grow or trees we plant in our forests so that they are less vulnerable to new pests and diseases, or to storms or wild fires.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Whilst much of the public discussion has centred on carbon emissions, if climate change is to be mitigated, it is essential that we minimise the emissions of all greenhouse gases. The key gases vary depending on the sector (PDF, 111 KB) - for example while the focus in the domestic sector may be carbon dioxide; for the agricultural sector, addressing methane emissions has a prominent role.

To date the Council mitigation focus has been on reducing its own emissions. Recent legislation however, gives a clear role for the Council to work with its partners, citizens and businesses to ensure that the whole Perth & Kinross area becomes a net zero carbon place by 2045 at the latest. This means that we must reduce the carbon emissions to a level which are equal to or less than the ability of our natural ecosystems (i.e. our woodlands and peatlands) to absorb and retain carbon.

Targets

International bodies and national governments have responded to the climate change emergency by setting increasingly ambitious targets (PDF, 183 KB).

We must engage with all our stakeholders and take a shared responsibility for setting targets which are realistic, achievable, and have the commitment of all. Therefore, we aim to jointly develop targets with our communities, taking into account different scenarios, and being realistic about the challenge and costs involved for each scenario.

Interim Climate Emergency Report and Action Plan (Dec 2019)

In June 2019 Perth & Kinross Council acknowledged its responsibilities, by unanimously passing a Motion, which committed the Council to lead by example in accelerating the transformational change required to address the climate emergency. The Chief Executive was tasked with setting out a route map to deliver through co-production with citizens and other stakeholders, a low carbon Perth & Kinross.

The report was the first stage in that journey. It is an interim document and formed the basis to start the conversation with our national and local elected representatives, our partners and our communities, giving all partners and all citizens a chance to play a part in delivering a low carbon and climate resilient Perth & Kinross. The report set out the following:

1. the size and complexity of the challenge as it relates to the Council as an organisation, and the wider Perth and Kinross area.
2. the increasing range of international, national and local policies, targets, and legislation; and how they will direct and influence our activities over the next decades.
3. our projects for taking forward comprehensive engagements on climate change, to develop a shared vision, strategy and actions, which will be essential for the entire Perth and Kinross area to achieve a net zero carbon future.
4. the extensive activity the Council and partners are already carrying out, to address climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as detailing short, medium and longer term actions, and options, which demonstrates our commitment to accelerating our climate change progress.
5. our commitment to "just transitions", to ensure that climate change actions progress hand in hand with fairness and equality; and that no one in a vulnerable situation is disadvantaged by climate change transformation.
6. how we are currently organised to work together, and how that close working can evolve to ensure our future climate change activities remain unified, focussed and effective.

The Committee Report and associated documents from the Interim Climate Emergency Report and Action Plan (2019) are available to view/download from the Committee Website.