A MAJOR new TV, radio and digital campaign to encourage Scots to come together to help tackle the climate emergency has been launched ahead of Cop26 in Glasgow later this year.
The Let’s do Net Zero campaign aims to highlight the benefits that a "net zero society" will bring for Scotland's economy, health and environment.
It also seeks to raise greater awareness of the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and the transformation required across all corners of the economy and society in order to end Scotland’s contribution to climate change.
A video warns Scotland is living in a "global climate emergency", adding: "If we do nothing, life-threatening rainstorms will be commonplace.
"Our beloved coastal towns will flood more frequently.
"Our wildlife will suffer; already we've lost nearly 25 per cent. But there is hope."
Scotland is committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
The new campaign will provide information and resources and showcase the achievements of communities, businesses and organisations.
The Scottish Government said it will also demonstrate the action Scotland is taking to protect the planet, inviting global collaboration ahead of Cop26, the international climate summit set to be held in Glasgow in November.
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, said: “Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to declare a climate emergency and we are wholly committed to ending our contribution to climate change, definitively, by 2045.
“We can be proud that we have already halved our greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, but the second half of the journey to becoming a net-zero nation will be far more challenging, and require everyone to play their part.
“Climate change is the greatest threat facing the world’s population.
"It’s not a distant, far away problem: we’re already seeing the impact here in Scotland.
“The journey to net-zero will transform every aspect of our lives: how we live, how we work, how we travel.
"It presents huge potential for us to seize the opportunities that becoming a net-zero society presents – growing our economy, improving our health and wellbeing whilst protecting and enhancing Scotland’s iconic natural environment.
“2021 is a vital year for climate action and COP26 in Glasgow puts Scotland centre stage.
"We’ll demonstrate the climate action Scotland is taking, the ways in which we put people and wellbeing at the heart of all we do, and how our Scottish values underpin our place in the world.
"The time for action is now. It is the people living on this planet, at this moment, who can secure the future of our climate for the next generations.
“This campaign highlights the need for urgent, collective action.
"If we all play our part in the just transition to net-zero, Scotland can show the rest of the world how it’s done – and ensure our people, businesses and communities are at the forefront of our new green economy.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel