In Britain around 95 per cent of the population lives in areas where the local authorities – over 570 councils all together – have declared a climate emergency. 

Local Authorities have significant influence to affect positive change on emission reduction. The following resources are based on the information shared during Carbon Literacy Training for Local Authorities. All the resources here are relevant to Councillors, Executives, Managers and the wider staff team.

These resources, though informative, are not a substitute for Carbon Literacy Training. To find out more about the training and certification process please have a look at our 'climate conversation' page.

The Climate Action Tracker highlights the need for urgent action. Current global policies and action are leading to a projected 2.7°C increase. This is well above the 1.5°C change that the global scientific community agrees will prevent the worst effects of climate change.

https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures/

To further emphasise the importance of action on climate change, the following are global risks ranked by severity over the long term (10 years). This information produced by the World Economic Forum.

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2023.pdf

We live in a changing climate. Scotland is experiencing warmer, wetter winters and hotter drier summers. This is projected to continue.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2021/climate-change-continues-to-be-evident-across-uk

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 commits Scotland to net zero in 2045. This legislation was in direct response to the Paris Agreement in 2015 where the central aim was to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the scientific group assembled by the United Nations to monitor and assess all global science related to climate change.

https://climateanalytics.org/briefings/15c/

The implications for Scotland from the effects of climate change are widespread and significant. This short video from Scotland Climate Assembly captures the direct and indirect impacts facing Scotland's communities, livelihoods, natural environment, and economy, for example.

Nature Scot have a comprehensive website which explores the impacts of climate change. You can find it here.

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate-change/effects-of-climate-change

Councils across Scotland, and the rest of the world, are responding with Climate Emergency Declarations. 

https://www.climateemergency.uk/blog/map-of-local-council-declarations/

How does your region or Local Authority do in meeting its emission reduction targets? Tyndall Manchester’s Carbon Budget Tool downscales the global carbon budget calculated by the IPCC to local areas. The video below explains this further and will direct you to further information where you can find the data relevant to your needs.

https://carbonbudget.manchester.ac.uk/

Tackling climate change, as part of a green recovery, can reap huge benefits for Local Authorities. A starting point is to look at the research by Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN). The information below is based on Scotland wide data though this can be adapted for specific Local Authorities, giving a more detailed look at the co-benefits of climate action.

https://pcancities.org.uk/

There are many resources, toolkits, and case studies to support Elected Members and Councils plan and deliver for communities in a way that supports wellbeing, health, the economy, infrastructure, jobs, social cohesion, and the environment. Tackling the climate crisis should be done in a way that aligns with the needs of communities as highlighted in this recent study by Imperial College London.

https://ashden.org/sustainable-towns-cities/ is a great place to start to find examples of good practice on co-benefits from Councils around the UK in addition to support for Councils to reach Net Zero.