Argyll and Bute Climate Action: developing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute Council · 30 April 2024
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Community Planning Group — 30 April 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Date: 16 April 2024 Argyll and Bute Climate Action: developing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. 1.0 Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the Community Planning Partnership’s Argyll And Bute Climate Action project: developing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. 2.0 Recommendations The CPG is asked to note the approach and status of the project outlined in the report. 3.0 Background The CPP sub-group working on climate change is known as the Climate Change Working Group. Its work is currently centred on producing a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Argyll and Bute. The plan is to be produced by employing a Climate Change Project Manager to lead on the process. Argyll & the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT) are the employing body and the post is fully funded by the CPP funded from end October 2023 to October 2025. This update sets out the current position. 4.0 Detail 4.1 Progress Following a literature review and a series of meetings with key Community Planning Partnership and wider regional and national partners, an initial outline strategy was presented to the Climate Change Working Group meeting of 20 March. The structure was informed by best and most appropriate exemplars from across Scotland, and by feedback from Steering Group and wider partner meetings including the emphasis placed on brevity and avoidance of duplication. Points discussed at the CWG and subsequently reported to the CPP Management Committee on 10 April reported included
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• The strategy is to support partners to identify or create opportunities to meet existing duties: not a mandate to create new duties • Outcomes from key national climate strategies have been mapped and aligned with the three CPP Transport, Housing and Community Wellbeing outcomes. • The group supported the principle of early production of a strategy paper describing strategic approach, and then emphasis on development of the action plan, rather than producing both towards the end of the funded period • Use existing reporting mechanisms, principally the Public Body Climate Duty reporting requirements, where possible rather than create new requirements • Use existing data where possible and work within limitations of trying to fill data gaps where there are no mandated requirements • Recognise and work within the limits of the areas where CPP partners have control and where they can seek to influence. Notably, private sector emissions may be outwith the scope of influence for the CPP, but it remains important that businesses can be supported to reduce emissions. • The proposed national adaptation strategy places high expectations on the role of communities as part of an overall resilience response. • Engagement has been predominantly with institutions and key contacts but working closely with the grassroots engagement programme of the Climate Action Network Hub work funded by Scottish Government which has greatly extended reach. The strategy project is also adding value to the Hub work. • The project is also collaborating with the CPP workstream developing Area Plans (working name) 4.2 Next Steps Immediate next steps are: • Ongoing engagement – noting the importance of engaging with young people and how branding and identity may support this • Ongoing engagement in conjunction with Climate Hubs • Gap analysis, risk and opportunity assessment methodologies with further guidance from key CPP contacts • Followed by risk and opportunity assessment workshops, potentially grouped by CPP Outcomes 4.3 Governance The project manager is line managed by ACT and guided and supported by the project Steering Group, a sub-set of the CPP Climate Change Working Group chaired by Rona Gold. The CPP Climate Change Working Group will moderate its activity while this project is ongoing, and proposed new Terms of Reference reflect a change of emphasis to
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sharing expertise and knowledge to support the development and delivery of the strategy. The project is working closely with the Argyll & Bute Climate Action Network Hub (ABCAN), which sits within the wider suite of Act Now climate projects in which ACT is engaged. The Hub has Scottish Government funding, and is overseen by a collaboration between ACT, Argyll & Bute Third Sector Interface and Time for Change Argyll & Bute. Andy Macpherson, Climate Change Project Manager For more information, please contact: Andy Macpherson andy@act-now.org.uk