What is Scotland’s Climate Assembly?
Scotland’s Climate Assembly brings together 100 members of the public with the remit of responding to the question: ‘How should Scotland change to tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way?’.
The Assembly met for seven weekends over the past five months and members have deliberated on evidence from over 100 expert speakers.
How Did CRNS Contribute to the Climate Assembly?
CRNS CEO, Michael Cook, presented evidence to the Assembly outlining how Scotland should change how it manages its materials and resources to tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way. Michael was delighted to be given the opportunity to speak:
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to speak to the members of Scotland’s Climate Assembly on such an important topic as the climate emergency and to argue the case for embedding the principles of a circular economy and zero waste as part of the solution to the problem.”
Assembly Interim Report Published
The Assembly’s Interim Report was laid in Parliament in March 2021, marking the start of the next stage of the Assembly’s work.
This initial report set out 16 goals agreed by an overwhelming majority of members for tackling the climate emergency in a fair and effective way. These goals cover a broad range of issues including domestic heating, emissions, land use, taxation and the economy.
Update and Release of Full Report
The Assembly’s Full Report was published in late June 2021.
CRNS are delighted to see that our course of action for a waste free future has been fully endorsed by the Assembly, after our CEO Michael Cook’s presentation to a number of Assembly members in early 2021.
The report shows the goals for climate action include ‘reduce consumption and waste by embracing society wide resource management and reuse practices’. This goal is tied in joint 1st place with 97% of the Assembly’s vote.
The Assembly’s goals also highlight strong support for CRNS’s call for a National Reuse Charter with at least £70million to encourage and facilitate reuse in Scotland, with 95% in favour.
A National Reuse Charter would support the establishment of ‘best practice standards and targets; timetables for implementation; and reporting mechanisms, in order for Local Authorities to transform recycling centres into reuse centres where items can be repurposed by skilled workers’.
CRNS would like to extend our thanks to the Scottish Climate Assembly for bringing forward this strong call to action for Scottish Government to consider moving forward. We will continue to endeavour to represent our members and advocate for a waste free future and circular economy in Scotland.