Scottish Government at COP26: What was achieved?

Providing spaces

The Scottish Government provided spaces within and outside of the formal UN and UK managed Blue Zone and Green Zone, to facilitate Scottish Government policy aims. These spaces provided the physical environment through which the Scottish Government could:

• Platform unheard voices
• Convene stakeholders
• Engage the Scottish public
• Champion global initiatives
• Showcase Scotland’s domestic climate change action
• Showcase Scotland’s trade and investment opportunities
• Host diplomatic discussions

There were five main event spaces provided by the Scottish Government and related Enterprise bodies. Information about each is below:

• The Lighthouse, Glasgow, housed Scotland's Climate Ambition Zone which held 60 events over the period of the conference, with over 2,400 people attending the venue in person and over 3,300 joining virtually. Organisations not directly affiliated with Scottish Government or Scottish Enterprise were invited to organise and run events, with 28 hosted. More detail on activity within the Climate Ambition Zone is in the case study at the end of this chapter.
• Scottish Government offices at Atlantic Quay held 7 events over the period of the conference with 255 people attending and 390 attending virtually. They also held a number of Ministerial meetings and diplomatic engagements.
• Scottish Enterprise collaborated with Climate Action to create a Climate Action Innovation Zone on land owned by Scottish Enterprise at Cessnock Quay. The Sustainable Innovation Forum attracted 1304 in person and 15,008 online attendees.
• Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle hosted a range of events, including the CivTech Reception, US Drinks Reception, the Hydrogen Dinner, and the Under 2 Coalition Gala dinner. There were over 450 in-person attendees across the events held in these venues including delegations from the United States and the Under 2 Coalition.

Scotland also partnered with 3 pavilions (out of 35 pavilions) in the Blue Zone:

• Multi-level action Pavilion: in partnership with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the Scottish Government led and delivered a series of presentations and exhibition events designed to demonstrate the leadership and legitimacy of state and regional governments in UN led climate action. The pavilion provided an opportunity to deepen collaborative work with international partners, encourage greater action and more ambitious commitments from states and regions and, amplify the critical role that governments of all levels play in responding to the climate crisis.
• Cryosphere Pavilion: co-sponsored by the Scottish Government with the Swiss Government and Nordic Council of Ministers, and organised by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, this pavilion brought together a network of senior policy experts and researchers working with governments and organisations to create, shape and implement initiatives designed to preserve as much of the Earth’s cryosphere as possible.
• Peatlands Pavilion: hosted by the IUCN UK Peatland Programme, and with the Scottish Government as a lead sponsor, this pavilion provided a hub for networking and the creation of new ideas, commitments, and collaboration where Ministers, climate negotiators, peatlands experts and enthusiasts from around the world came together to exchange their knowledge and experiences on peatlands policy, practice, research, and innovation. This aimed to ensure that peatlands in the UK function to their full potential and that there is no further loss of peatland ecosystems.

The Scottish Government also delivered a number of events in the Nordic Pavilion, reflecting on Scottish-Nordic similarities, shared ambitions and opportunities for greater collaboration across areas such as sports, climate technology, islands and peatland conservation.

The Blue Zone had an average footfall of 20,000 delegates a day. Virtual attendees of Scottish Government Blue Zone events spanned 73 different countries.