A report from Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North.
Communities across Scotland, including on Arran, will soon benefit from new support from the SNP Government to tackle climate change and embrace the transition to a carbon-neutral society.
The SNP Government’s Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) provides support and grants for community-led organisations tackling climate change by running projects that reduce local carbon emissions.
The CCF has previously supported projects involving energy efficiency improvements to community owned buildings, lower carbon travel options, home energy efficiency advice, community growing initiatives and schemes to tackle waste.
Over 1,100 projects have benefitted from more than £104 million of funding provided by the CCF since 2008, and the latest round for 2019-21 will support 87 projects. 22 of these are new ventures, including Arran’s Eco Savvy which will receive £293,638 for their project to offer home energy efficiency advice to help residents on the Isle of Arran reduce their energy use and carbon emissions, with additional support to address fuel poverty. The project will have further activities to focus on food waste and lower carbon travel alternatives, as well as an assortment of Carbon Literacy workshops and resources through an Eco Savvy Carbon Literacy scheme
Climate change is a pressing global issue that requires action on a global scale. However, meaningful change can, and must, also happen on a local level. CCF funding gives people opportunities to embrace low-carbon living and do their bit to protect our planet.
You can register to receive the CCF newsletter for updates on funding and support available plus other sustainability and climate change news online here.
The SNP Government also continues to support international responses to the effects of climate change overseas. In March, funding of £150,000 was announced to support relief efforts in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe following Cyclone Idai.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched a fundraising appeal on Thursday 21 March, following the cyclone that left a trail of destruction in these south east African countries and led to over 1,000 people having lost their lives.
More than 400,000 people lost their homes and vital infrastructure has been destroyed by major flooding. DEC members and partners have been working on the ground to provide urgent health assistance, food, and temporary shelter. The SNP Government has provided £100,000 to the appeal while a further £50,000 has been allocated from the Climate Justice Fund to support emergency flood relief in Malawi, securing water supplies and treating contamination. This is in addition to £175,000 of funding announced on 14 March to support emergency flood relief in Malawi through University of Strathclyde’s HydroNation programme after severe flooding affected nearly a million people, resulting in loss of life and tens of thousands of people being displaced.
Scotland is an outward-looking and compassionate country. It is only right that we do what we can to support the international response to this humanitarian emergency. This funding will help aid groups in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to deliver life-saving support to local people and communities in desperate need.