Climate Conversation

This consultation is now closed as of 2 May 2021.

Read about our emerging Climate Action Plan (CAP) 

Climate Action Plan (CAP) - Climate Conversation

Climate Conversation

The Climate Conversation is the first stage in preparing an area-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP) for East Dunbartonshire. Through the Climate Conversation, we aim to assess local public opinion on climate change and related issues, including biodiversity loss, and to discuss potential actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve our resilience to the accelerating impacts of climate change, such as the damage caused by more frequent flooding and storms. The Climate Conversation will also provide an opportunity to consider the action that needs to be taken within the context of a green recovery from the economic and social impacts of the pandemic.

The Climate Conversation period will run from 8 March 2021 to 2 May 2021 and aims to engage a wide variety of stakeholders via multiple formats, which are detailed below.

Climate Action Plan

The CAP will set out the steps we will take in East Dunbartonshire to support the Scottish Government's ambitious targets to secure a 75% reduction in carbon emissions (compared to 1990) by 2030, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2045, as set out in Scotland’s 2018-2032 Climate Change Plan Update.  We propose to set a net-zero target for East Dunbartonshire, along with interim 'milestone' targets towards its achievement.

The CAP will build on the considerable progress the Council has already made in reducing our own carbon footprint in line with our Carbon Management Plan 2015-20. As set out in our fifth annual report on progress, the Council’s own corporate carbon emissions have already fallen 44% between 2012-13 and 2019-20. Work is under way to deliver a range of actions - contained in the Sustainability & Climate Change Framework Action Plan, which was approved by Council in December 2019 - to tackle climate change and fulfil our sustainability ambitions. Efforts to reduce carbon emissions at an area-wide level are also being pursued through a range of Council strategies, including the Local Housing Strategy, Local Transport Strategy, Local Development Plan 2 and Economic Recovery Plan. A range of other work - including the delivery of our Flood Risk Management Plan, which is vital in responding to the increasing and intensifying rainfall experienced as a result of climate change - is important to help increase our resilience as weather patterns change. The Council is also a partner in the preparation of the emerging Glasgow City Region Climate Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan.  A full update on the Council’s recent climate change achievements is available in our fifth annual climate change report to the Scottish Government.

We are also commencing work during 2021 on new strategies that will support the objectives of the CAP: the Open Space Strategy; Circular Economy Strategy; and Active Travel Strategy. Consultations on each of these will be undertaken later this year. The comments we receive as part of the Climate Conversation will be taken into account in the preparation of all strategies.

Advice on how you can reduce your carbon footprint is available on the Climate Change Resources webpage.

Climate Conversation Online Surveys

The Council strongly encourages you to complete our online Climate Conversation Survey, which has been created specifically for this consultation exercise. This is an opportunity to share your views and help direct the options and pathways for the targets and actions of the emerging CAP. All responses to the survey will be considered carefully by the Climate Conversation Team and will help influence the development of the CAP.

Please fill in the main Climate Conversation survey. [now closed]

We also want to specifically hear from business and young people on how climate change is affecting you and what action you think needs to be taken to tackle climate change and its effects in the future.

If you are aged 11-18, please contribute your views through the Youth Climate Conversation Survey. [now closed]

All responses to the surveys are anonymous. The information we gather about you and the area you live or trade in helps us to analyse responses and will not be used for any other purpose. The information collected will be processed by the council in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. Further information detailing how East Dunbartonshire Council holds and uses personal information - and a copy of the Sustainability Policy Privacy Notice.

If you are a business, please fill in the Business Survey. [now closed]

Online Events

General Climate Conversation Online Events

Please join us at one of the General Climate Conversation Online Events below to tell us what you think about climate change and what we should do about it.

Who: All interested stakeholders

Where: Virtual consultation through Microsoft Teams. E-mail sustainability@eastdunbarton.gov.uk to register to attend and receive joining instructions for one of the three events.

When: 22 March - 10am-12 noon, 30 March - 2-4pm and 22 April - 5.30-7.45pm

Note: Please attend whichever session suits, attendance at multiple sessions is not necessary.

Youth Climate Conversation Online Events

Youth Climate Conversation Online Events took place on 15 March 2021.

Give us your thoughts on climate change …

We will be providing responses to Frequently Asked Questions below as part of the Climate Conversation. If you can’t find an answer to your question or would like to send us your thoughts regarding climate change - or the related ecological emergency - please email sustainability@eastdunbarton.gov.uk. We’ll get back to you directly with a response once it has been considered and also post selected questions and answers within our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

FAQs

Q: If it's an emergency, do we have time to act?

A: We do have time, albeit not much. The world's leading climate scientists warned in 2018 that there were only a dozen years left for global warming to be kept in check. So, time is tight, but we do have an opportunity to make a difference and it is crucial that we make the most of it.

Q: If we act but other countries don't, are our efforts wasted?

A: There are various reasons for us to take action regardless. If we lead by example, we can demonstrate our success to others and encourage them to follow our lead. The actions we can take also have additional benefits, including short-term ones. While our influence on other countries may be limited, we can have confidence in international processes like the this year's UN Climate Change Convention of the Parties (COP26), which will bring decision-makers from around the world together in Glasgow to agree on ways to work together on this shared global challenge.

Q: What actions should we prioritise?

A: Opportunities for action will vary depending on various factors including where you live, what your current lifestyle is like, etc. No action is insignificant, but it's useful to know what the big greenhouse gas emission sources are - in Scotland, transport is the largest contributor (12.9%), followed by businesses (8.4%) and agriculture (7.5%). Energy supply and residential emissions are other key sources.

Q: How will we know what others in East Dunbartonshire are doing to support our efforts?

A: The action required to tackle climate change is wide and varied. While it will be difficult to collate and share details of all relevant developments, through the emerging Climate Action Plan the Council will aim to share key information about what's happening across the area and the impact that this is having on emissions.