Scottish Government at COP26: What was achieved?

Championing global initiatives

Hosting COP26 in Glasgow gave Scotland a responsibility to lead by example to set the tone for achieving substantial and deliverable outcomes from COP26.

The Scottish Government did this by showcasing, creating, joining, signing or endorsing initiatives to set the “mood music” for COP26 - highlighting the need for immediate action, demonstrating commitment to finding solutions to the climate emergency, and inspiring greater action from others. Activity focussed on gender equality and youth; climate justice and loss and damage; nature and biodiversity loss, and decarbonisation.

Objectives

1 Influence global conversations on climate justice and biodiversity loss

9 Enhance Scotland’s profile as a global climate leader

Over the course of the conference, the Scottish Government signed more than 10 international agreements on areas including gender equality; children and young people, and emissions reductions and signed five international agreements supporting the global decarbonisation of the transport sector. The boxes below give examples of Scottish Government activity which championed global initiatives.

Championing issues around climate justice and loss and damage (Objectives 1, 9)

Activity that championed climate justice and loss and damage, included:

• Signing the Glasgow Climate Pact, committing countries to doubling their collective provision of climate finance for developing countries by 2025.
• Trebling our Climate Justice Fund financing communities to tackle structural inequalities and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
• Announcing that Scotland would be the first developed nation to pledge Loss and Damage finance (please see case study at the end of the chapter).
• Signing up to the Cleaner Cooking Pledge with confirmed funding towards the Cleaner Cooking Coalition which will help to raise awareness of the importance of cleaner cooking, and it will help communities and organisations in Malawi to make even better progress with the initiative.

Championing issues associated with gender and youth (Objective 9)

Activity that championed issues associated with climate change, gender and youth, included:

• Providing funding for The Beyond Borders Climate Change Fellowship promoting equal participation by women in peace resolution and enabling climate activists, people from indigenous and island communities, and areas where there is no state control, to share their experience of issues of gender, climate change and conflict.
• Launching the Glasgow Women's Leadership Statement on gender equality and climate change which acknowledges the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls and celebrates the role of women leaders at all levels in addressing the climate crisis. There have been 30 global signatories including the leaders of Bangladesh, Estonia and Tanzania and UN Women and the Prime Minister of Iceland.
• Announcing that the Scottish Government will become a Commitment Maker as part of the Feminist Action for Climate Justice global coalition.
• Signing up to the UNICEF Declaration of Children, Climate and Justice, committing to the key calls to action drafted by children and young people.

Championing issues associated with nature and biodiversity loss (Objective 1, 9)

Activity that championed issues of climate and nature and biodiversity loss, included:

• Launching the Blue Carbon International Policy Challenge which will engage the global third sector, private and public sector blue carbon community on the policy actions required, in Scotland and internationally, to maximise the potential of blue carbon as a nature based solution for climate change.
• Highlighting the marine climate mitigation and adaption opportunities at the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum and joining the International Partnership for Blue Carbon which now has 50 members and commits to exchange knowledge on blue carbon and progress actions for marine and coastal protection and restoration.

Championing decarbonisation (Objective 9)

Activity that championed issues of decarbonisation in sectors such as energy, transport and agriculture, and showed Scotland’s ambitions to lead at a global level in these areas, included:

• Joining the 50x30 coalition, an alliance between emissions research institutions and governments that recognise the vital importance of cutting emissions by 50% by 2030 to limit ice loss and sea level rise. Scotland is the first non-state member of the coalition, which includes Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and UK Gov.
• Signing up to the 4 per 1000 initiative, which aims to boost carbon storage in agricultural soils and reduce the global carbon footprint.
• Launching a new Clean Heat Forum, as a founding member alongside the UK, Germany, Denmark and others, to accelerate emissions reduction in the heating of buildings through joint working on standards, policy and technology.
• Signing the COP26 Declaration on Accelerating the Transition to Zero Emission Cars and Vans; the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero Emission Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles; the Public Fleets Pledge; and the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance ‘Call for Accelerated Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
• Developing and signing the Clydebank Declaration - the creation of green shipping corridors through the International Maritime Organization.
• The Scotland Food and Drink Partnership launching the Food and Drink Sector Industry Net Zero Commitment.

Championing issues associated with public participation (Objective 9)

Activity that championed issues around public participation in climate action and decision-making, and showcased Scotland’s previous action in this area, included:

• Scotland’s Climate Assembly members being joined by members from the Global Assembly, France’s Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat, and Glasgow City Council’s climate assembly to discuss how citizens can impact climate policy. The event was entitled We Have Agreed – Will You? Citizen’s Recommendations for Fair and Effective Action on Climate Change.
• A Ministerial panel event, How can Open Government Principles Help Deliver Climate Action? which was chaired by Yamide Dagnet, and included Ministers from Scotland, Finland, Lithuania and the Canadian Ambassador for Climate Change. Panellists outlined how their countries were working to make adaptation, mitigation and solutions to climate change inclusive, open and participatory, and discussed further work that can be done. Members of Scotland’s Climate Assembly and of the Children’s Parliament also asked the panellists questions.