By Sam Gardner, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability, ScottishPower
From our office in Glasgow, I could pretty much see the venue for COP26.
None of us at ScottishPower need any extra incentive to support the race to net zero but being within walking distance of the conference that must shift the dial on global climate action is a pretty powerful motivator. Although I can no longer see the SECC from the lockdown desk in my living room, the team here at ScottishPower has been busy developing our programme of activities for this critically important climate summit.
Working in partnership as climate champions
Soon we’ll kick off a comprehensive programme of climate literacy across the 1000s of ScottishPower staff as we aim to help build a better future, quicker.
Every employee will complete an online programme while a group of future climate champions will be the first cohort of staff to participate in a rich climate programme led by Keep Scotland Beautiful and The Carbon Literacy Project.
To support this, our leadership team will take part in a programme of climate lectures from leaders in adaptation, climate justice, communication, and science. All of this will happen alongside our partnership with the global initiative “Count Us In” that aims to engage a billion people in climate action.
As committed partners in the EV100 initiative, we’re accelerating the transition of our own vehicle fleet and recently added 10 Nissan eNV200 vans and an EV bus for the Whitelee Windfarm Visitor Centre to our pure electric commercial fleet. Plenty more of those to come in 2021 as we target 2030 to decarbonise our fleet - so watch this space.
As London Climate Action week has focused on the climate pledge, we too have loads more planned to support the green transition. From a series of lectures with Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities, to raising awareness of COP26 with young people across Scotland in workshops that will collect views on the future of energy policy. We’re looking forward to being part of a huge “welcome to the world” to the dear green place that is Glasgow. Together we can build momentum and help turn that dial on climate action.
A platform for collaboration, ideas, and action
At ScottishPower, we aspire to play our full part in helping to make COP26 the success it needs to be. We will look to demonstrate leadership by leading the green recovery and setting new science-based targets aligned to 1.5 degrees across our value chain. We will look to convene voices and provide a platform for ideas and collaboration. And finally, we will look to leave a positive legacy for the people of Glasgow and our employees with the actions we take in the coming months. In the next 10 years, we must halve the world’s greenhouse gas emissions if we have any chance of preventing the severe impacts of climate change. COP26 is not just two weeks in November 2021, it is the catalyst for action needed now and every day afterward.