The Comhairle sets out its plan for climate action

The effects of climate change are already being felt across the world. Scotland is likely to experience warmer wetter winters, more intense rainfall, and hotter drier summers, with rising sea levels, increased flooding, and coastal erosion of particular concern to the islands.
Area-wide emissions for the islands are estimated to be 234 kt CO2 (kiloton carbon dioxide), and while this total figure is low compared to other local authority areas in Scotland, at 8.7kt CO2 per capita, it represents one of the highest per person emissions in Scotland.
The Climate Change Act 2019 committed Scotland to Net Zero by 2045, meaning that greenhouse gas emissions produced must be balanced out by the removal of emissions from the atmosphere.
Public bodies now have a legal requirement to set target dates for zero direct emissions and indirect emission reductions, report on how spending and resource will contribute to these targets, and report on their contribution to Scotland’s Climate Change Adaptation Programme.
With this pressing target in mind, the Comhairle has published its new draft Climate Change Strategy, which is now open for public consultation and available to view online.
Comhairle Leader, Cllr Paul Steele, said: “The Draft Climate Change Strategy has been developed to provide strategic direction on climate change and ensure statutory obligations on mitigation and adaptation are met. The strategy has three priority areas aligning to national priorities on climate change: a Carbon Neutral Comhairle, Net Zero Islands and Climate Resilient Islands. An action plan with performance indicators has been developed and will be used to track progress against key outcomes.
“Comments received will be reviewed and the draft Climate Change Strategy will be amended as appropriate. The final draft of the Climate Change Strategy will be considered by the Policy and Resources Committee of the Comhairle which will be held week beginning 19th September.”
The Strategy and the consultation are available at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/OH4AZS/ .
Responses by individuals and organisations are invited by Saturday 13th of August 2022 at 5pm.