“Best training I’ve been on for a long time.  Even if you think you know about climate change I thoroughly recommend it”. Pippa Milne, Chief Executive, Argyll & Bute Council.

Learn more about the causes and impacts of climate change, plus ways to tackle it.

Human activities have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, causing our planet to warm and our climate to change.

In Scotland we expect sea level rise as increased temperatures cause seawater to expand and ice sheets worldwide to melt. This will threaten our coastal communities with flooding. In addition to increasing temperatures, we expect more extremes of weather. This will affect our infrastructure, the crops we can grow, our ecosystems and our natural plants and animals. Some of these changes are happening now.

Carbon Literacy

Argyll & the Isles Coast & Countryside Trust is a Gold Level Carbon Literate Organisation which delivers Carbon Literacy Training.

"...a brilliant course and quite pioneering in the way that it brings adaptation strategies into the mix without detracting from the CL Standard" The Carbon Literacy Project on our newly created 'Carbon Literacy, Climate Adaptation, and Building Resilience' training course.  

Carbon Literacy is relevant, certified, climate change learning that leads to positivity and action towards reducing carbon emissions. Essentially Carbon Literacy Training provides “An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.”

The ACT Now Project Officer, Jamie Joyce, is an accredited Carbon Literacy Trainer and has delivered certified climate change training to Argyll and Bute residents, Councillors, Communities, local organisations and businesses over the past year.

More than just small personal changes, Carbon Literacy highlights the need for substantial change and supports you, as an individual, to have a cascade effect on a much wider audience – whether it’s in your workplace, community, school, university, place of worship, or another setting.

Why Carbon Literacy?

Read our carbon literacy case study here.

A Carbon Literate citizen understands how climate change will affect them and the people around them, both geographically and sectorally. A Carbon Literate citizen has acquired the knowledge and skills to develop their own responses to lowering their carbon footprint, and the carbon footprint of others, whilst having the confidence to share their Carbon Literacy.

Certification is awarded following the successful completion of an approved Carbon Literacy course whereby each learner is awarded a uniquely-coded Carbon Literacy certificate to reference that achievement.

A Carbon Literacy course covers –

• The science behind climate change
• Social equity & climate change
• What you can do to act on climate change
• Strategies and skills for communicating action on climate change

Carbon Literacy is eight hours of learning and takes place over two or four sessions dependant on learners preference and schedule.

Training options

Carbon Literacy training is delivered online or in person.

There are 4 Carbon Literacy course options:

1. NEW! Carbon Literacy, Climate Adaptation, and Building Resilience. A course aimed at the third sector in Scotland.
2. Training for individuals, run on a regular basis. Our Carbon Literacy accredited course, 'Carbon Literacy for Argyll & Bute', covers all aspects of Carbon Literacy from the context of living and working in Argyll & Bute. Contact us directly to reserve a space on upcoming training. This training is provided for free through the Scottish Government funded Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network (ABCAN).
3. Training for Local Authority Elected Members, Leadership and Management, or Local Authorities Generic Staff. Please enquire for further information.
4. Carbon Literacy for School Staff. A new unique venture to support school staff across Argyll and Bute increase their awareness of the role of schools in addressing climate change issues.
5. Carbon Literacy Training designed for you organisation or sector. Please enquire for further information.

To find out more contact Jamie Joyce at [email protected]

Testimonials:

'I really enjoyed the course and for me, it's been a real trigger in being able to open up the climate change conversation with others. I'd recommend the course - really good with interesting material but pretty flexible and suitable for wide audience.' Jenny

‘Hi Jamie, many thanks for the email and the Certificate, so pleased/delighted to have achieved this, great start to the week, Thank you so much for being an excellent tutor’, MCC.

"I found the Carbon Literacy Training an interesting and rewarding experience to be part of, and in particular felt that the variety and structuring of course content made for a useful resource base covering the key areas included in it. With so much information in circulation on so many of the topics covered it was great to have a pre-selected bank of relevant reading and other materials directing participants and helping to achieve learning outcomes.  The sessions themselves provided plenty of opportunity to meet and share ideas with others on the course, and there was suitable support in place for this which made effective use of delivery via Zoom. The end of course assessment gave us a chance to reflect and apply what we had worked on as well as to think practically about behavioural changes needed."  Michael, ALIenergy.

An example of material used in the training highlighting the need to act now at all levels of Scottish society: 

https://climateactiontracker.org

Banner image of A83 at Ardrishaig, credit Stan Phillips.